By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-19 06:46:49 | Updated at 2026-07-19 14:33:10
8 hours ago
The US devastated Iranian missile depots, drones and air defenses in the latest barrage of airstrikes after promising 'swift punishment' for the deaths of two American service members.
The latest wave of strikes concluded at 11.30pm ET and were targeted at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces responsible for the fatal attack on US assets in Jordan on Friday, officials said.
A dramatic video shared by Central Command (CENTCOM) showed US forces launching a massive missile from an unknown location before hitting Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities.
'During the eighth consecutive night of US strikes, CENTCOM forces successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities,' CENTCOM said in a statement.
The agency also warned that over 50,000 soldiers have been deployed across the Middle East, describing them as 'highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.'
IRNA, Iranian state media, reported that Qeshm Island was among the targets. Qeshm is located in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has used to block oil as a negotiating tactic. Explosions were also reported in Bandar Abbas, an Iranian city also near the Strait and near the city of Sirik.
Meanwhile IRGC-affiliated news station Tasnim reported that Iran had struck US assets in Kuwait in retaliation for the ongoing strikes.
CENTCOM released chilling video footage of the latest US strikes against Iran which concluded on Saturday at 11.30pm EST
President Donald Trump directed the strikes following fatalities of US servicemembers on Friday
The video footage revealed American troops launching the massive missile from an undisclosed location, hitting Iranian targets
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it targeted two US bases: Camp Buehring and the Ali Al Salem Air Base.
The Guards Corps claimed it carried out 'large-scale attacks with kamikaze drones' against the bases, according to a statement cited by state media.
Renewed military action in the region has claimed the lives of additional American soldiers.
Iranian strikes hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday. In addition to the two fatalities, one service member is missing in action, and four others were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals in the attack. The troops have since been discharged, CENTCOM said in a statement on Saturday.
President Trump told NewsNation that the soldiers' deaths were a 'very sad thing.'
'We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country,' he added, before reiterating his goal of 'never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.'
The deaths were the 15th and 16th among US servicemembers since the war with Iran began in February, with more than 430 others wounded.
The strikes have marked the eighth consecutive night of military force. CENTCOM said US forces have 'hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites'
In addition to the Iranian targets, the US also launched a barrage of missiles at Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces responsible for the deaths of US service members
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How should the US respond to escalating attacks from Iran without risking a wider conflict in the region?
Shortly before Friday's attack on Jordan, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said that the US strikes on Iran would lead to 'unforgettable lessons,' accusing Trump of 'seeking to escalate the conflict.'
Khamenei has also called the US's actions in the region 'criminal,' referring to the country as the 'Great Satan.'
'The Great Satan – the criminal US – has now realized that the continuation of its trouble-free, domineering presence in the region is nothing but a naive fantasy,' he wrote on his official X account on Saturday evening.
Hours after the US service members' deaths were announced, Iranian state media said several IRGC missiles were fired at an unspecified vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks come after the US launched a barrage of missiles early on Saturday targeting 'surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities,' CENTCOM said.
The strikes hit an electricity plant in Hormozgan and cut off the water supply to around 10,000 on Qeshm Island, while a bridge toward Iran's main port in Bandar Abbas was disrupted due to bridge damage, according to IRNA.
The attacks have intensified the conflict's focus on the Strait of Hormuz, an essential waterway bordering Iran that previously carried over a fifth of the world's crude oil.
An Iranian missile strike in Jordan killed two soldiers, as one remains missing and four were hospitalized. Pictured above is a missile launched toward US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain
Trump said that the deaths of American service members was 'very sad.' The identities of the soldiers have yet to be released. Pictured above are American forces enforcing the naval blockade against Iran
The struggle over the Strait has seen energy prices skyrocket worldwide, with the fresh round of strikes now threatening civilian infrastructure in Iran.
'The US has violated its commitments under the deal that was signed about a month ago and now Iran is 'no longer implementing them,' Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, told state TV.
Amid the recent blitz from US forces against Iran, Tehran's energy ministry ordered citizens to turn off their air conditioning during peak hours as the country's power grid came under strain.
The energy ministry said that the power restrictions were necessary 'to help ensure a stable electricity supply in the southern provinces, which are currently facing extreme heat and attacks on electricity supply facilities.'
