WANA (Jul 30) – The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces launched military strikes against targets inside Iran beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, describing the operation as a response to what it alleged was an Iranian attempt to attack U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East the previous day.

 

In a statement, CENTCOM said the strikes were intended as a “decisive response” to the alleged threat posed by Iran. The U.S. military did not immediately provide further details about the scope of the operation or the specific targets involved.

 

Hours before the official announcement, Axios reporter Barak Ravid, citing a U.S. military official, reported that American strikes had begun inside Iranian territory. At the same time, local reports indicated that multiple explosions had been heard in several parts of Iran.

 

Meanwhile, Arab media outlets reported the launch of surface-to-surface missiles from Kuwait toward Iran and circulated videos purportedly showing the missile launches. The reports have not been independently verified.

 

The announcement followed a report by The Wall Street Journal, which said CENTCOM had presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a proposal for a two-week campaign targeting Iran’s missile infrastructure.

 

According to the newspaper, citing unnamed sources, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff assessed that shortages of interceptor missiles for air defense systems would not prevent a renewed military operation, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was said to strongly support carrying out extensive strikes.