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Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan sounded alerts and fired air defences early on Wednesday, as the United States and Iran traded attacks after the downing of an American helicopter a day earlier.
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“The General Staff of the Army announces that Kuwaiti air defence systems are currently engaging hostile aerial targets in accordance with established operational procedures,” the Kuwaiti army posted on X, without specifying their origin.
Iran had said it targeted the nation to retaliate over American airstrikes earlier Wednesday morning, also claiming attacks targeting Bahrain and Jordan.
Jordan said Wednesday it shot down five incoming missiles launched by Iran, which Iran said targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. That air base has hosted American F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft.
Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency carried the statement from its military, which added that there were no injuries in the attack and that explosives experts had examined the debris from the interceptions.
Tehran had vowed to respond after the US launched airstrikes on Iran following the crash of an Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian forces “will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. “Leave our region if you want to be safe.”
A US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
It wasn’t clear whether the collision was intentional, and official statements only said the crash is under investigation.
Iranian media reported at least two series of explosions along Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said on X that it had “completed self-defense strikes against Iran.”
“CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets,” the post said.
“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” Central Command said.
Trump said earlier in a social media post that Iran had shot down the aircraft while it was on patrol over the strait and declared that the US “must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
The downing of the Apache attack helicopter and the strikes by the US military further strained a two-month ceasefire a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce took effect.
Before he accused Iran of downing the US helicopter, Trump had expressed renewed optimism over negotiations with Iran, but he didn’t say why there was reason for optimism.
Additional sources • AFP, AP
