17 Iranian ships, including a submarine, are destroyed. The operation is unprecedented, according to the US military.
The US has since on Saturday hit almost 2000 targets in Iran and destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including a submarine.
This is stated by the US military’s Central Command, Centcom, in a video on the X social media.
– For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping. Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, says Admiral Brad Cooper of Centcom in the video.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the busiest straits in the world. About 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, writes the AFP news agency.
– Shooting at everything that can shoot at us
The US military has destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers and drones since Saturday, the admiral says. Iran’s air defenses have also been scaled back significantly.
– In short, we focus on shooting at everything that can shoot at us, says Brad Cooper.
The Centcom spokesman called the wave of attacks against Iran “unprecedented” and compared it to the first day of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
– The first 24 hours of this operation were almost twice as extensive, says Brad Cooper.
Over 50,000 soldiers in action
More than 50,000 soldiers, 200 fighter planes, 2 aircraft carriers and bombers take part in the attacks on Iran, says Brad Cooper.
The United States, in cooperation with Israel, launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday morning. Since then, Iran has responded again by attacking targets in several countries in the Middle East.
According to Centcom, Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2000 drones against targets in the region.
The Israeli-American operation has been named “Operation Epic Fury”.
Top leader and family members killed
US President Donald Trump has said that the aim of the operation is to ensure that Iran does not get nuclear weapons. The attack comes after several weeks of negotiations between the US and Iran over the Iranian nuclear program.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as several members of his family, among others, have been killed in the extensive attacks against the country.
Israel’s military announced on Wednesday night that it had launched a series of attacks against targets in Iran after Iran fired several missiles at Israel. This is written by AFP.
The targets of the latest Israeli attacks are launch pads, air defense systems and additional infrastructure, according to Israel’s military.
/ritzau/Reuters
