The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran overnight Wednesday. The strikes targeted military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities, though specific locations were not disclosed.

The Iranian authorities vowed retaliation against the aggressor. On Thursday morning, suspected Iranian strikes hit Kuwait and Jordan. In Kuwait, a worker was killed when a building belonging to a Chinese company was targeted.

Explosions were reported across southern Iran. On Qeshm Island, three blasts occurred, with a missile hitting a residential area, killing a couple and their two-year-old child; two other children were wounded. In Fars province, an area near Kazerun was struck. On Kish Island, two loud explosions were heard, but airport and ferry services remained unaffected.

In Bushehr province, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant, explosions were reported in three cities, with no casualties. In Khuzestan province, at least seven locations in Ahvaz and targets in Abadan were hit, causing power outages. In Hormozgan province, two explosions occurred in Bandar Abbas, with no attacks on Sirik.

Iranian officials confirmed three deaths from the strike on a residential building in Qeshm city, with two people believed trapped under rubble. Search and rescue operations are ongoing. The IRGC stated that the aggressor would be punished today.

Jordanian air defenses intercepted five Iranian missiles. Kuwait reported one death from a strike on a Chinese company building. Egypt confirmed a drone attack caused a fire damaging two ships at Damietta port.

Analysts warn of a prolonged tit-for-tat conflict between the US and Iran, with risks of a collective Gulf military response or Houthi escalation in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Source: www.aljazeera.com