The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday the start of the ninth wave of Operation True Promise 4 against Israeli and US targets in the region in the Middle East. Israeli media reported a new wave of missiles from Iran against targets in Haifa, Jaffa (Tel Aviv) and Jerusalem, in parallel to the sound of sirens in the Galilee, the Golan Heights and the rest of the northern regions.
The Israeli press reported that Approximately 70 ballistic missiles were launched in 24 hours from Iranian territory towards Israel.
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Before, the seventh and eighth waves of Operation True Promise 4, in retaliation for the unprovoked aggression of the Israeli regime and the United States against the Islamic Republic, included missile launches and large-scale drone deployments against US and Zionist targets in the Middle East.
According to a statement from the IRGC, the actions covered missile attacks on three US and British oil tankers, the closure of key US naval facilities in Kuwait, severe damage to a US base in Bahrain and hundreds of US service members injured.
According to Tasmin News, Several Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli defenses this Sunday, hitting the city of Jerusalem. Other sources reported that The IRGC attempted to reach a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem and a missile landed near the site, after which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved the cabinet session to a secure underground facility.
Al Jazeera showed images of a large fire that would have been caused by an Iranian attack on a US naval facility in the port of Salman, in Bahrain, which houses the Central Command and the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy, while HispanTV published a video pointing out that the Iranian army used F-4 Phantom fighters to attack a CENTCOM base in Qatar.
Press agencies and British media reported several explosions at the Akrotiri base, which the British army has in Limassol (Cyprus), with no evidence of victims to date.
Although it is unknown if they were caused by an Iranian attack, The explosions occurred an hour after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his country’s more active participation in the attacks against Iran.
Concretely, Starmer stated that he has granted the United States the use of British bases for specific purposes that include attacks on Iranian bases and missile depots.
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In its statement this Sunday, the IRGC stated that, as a result of its attacks, The US naval base Ali Al-Salem, in Kuwait, was out of service. He also reported the destruction of three US maritime facilities at the Mohammed Al-Ahmad naval base, also in Kuwait.
In Bahrain, the US naval base at Mina Salman was attacked with four drones, causing severe damage to its command and support centers. US forces in Bahrain were also attacked with two ballistic missiles, while Other US bases in the region were subject to successive counterattacks, the IRGC said, noting that their actions have so far caused the death or injury of more than 500 US military personnel, a figure not confirmed by the Pentagon.
After the US acknowledged the death of three soldiers, President Donald Trump, who estimated that the offensive against Iran will last four weeks, said this Sunday that “there are likely to be more” casualties before the conclusion of Operation Epic Fury, which began on Saturday with massive attacks against several Iranian cities.
Citing military sources, CNN said the three US soldiers were killed during an Iranian drone strike on a military base in Kuwait.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that the increase in military casualties at the Pentagon is, along with the effect of the war against Iran on the oil market and the global and US economy, a factor that Americans mention when considering whether or not they approve of Trump’s new war adventure, who campaigned in 2024 on a promise to keep the United States out of protracted wars abroad and faces strong criticism at home for embarking on another crusade bypassing congressional approval.
As a result of the Iranian response waves, at least seven injuries were reported after a missile fell on a road in the Jerusalem area. Another nine people were reportedly killed and 45 injured after the impact of an Iranian missile in the town of Beit Semesh, about 30 kilometers from Jerusalem.
More than 200 people have died in Iran due to attacks by Israel and the United States, including 153 girls killed by a bombing against a primary school in Minab (southern of the country), where 95 others were injured. While, In Israel there are 10 deaths from Iranian missiles.
New wave of attacks against Iran
Nonetheless, The Israeli Army announced in the early hours of this Monday (local time) a new wave of attacks against Iran, particularly against the “heart of Tehran”, the capital of the Islamic Republic, in an offensive that has not ceased since Saturday, when US and Israeli forces began bombings against the Persian nation, unleashing a regional war escalation.
The Mehr news agency reported that At least 20 people were killed in the bombings in the Niloufar Square area of Tehran.
Earlier, American warplanes attacked the Gandhi Hospital in the Iranian capital. In parallel to the bombings, nurses at the hospital transported newborns to safe places, putting their own physical integrity at risk.
The Zionist Army also reported that in the early hours of this Monday (local time) Several missiles were launched from Lebanon against areas of northern Israel, an action that Hezbollah claimed responsibility for.
According to information released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on its Telegram channel, several alerts were activated in the north as a result of these attacks shortly after midnight. One projectile was intercepted and others hit open areas. The IDF claimed to be responding with bombings on Lebanese territory.
Paralysis in the Strait of Hormuz and in airspace
This Sunday, The two largest shipping companies in the world, MSC and Maersk, reported that they are stopping their ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz until further notice. alleging the deteriorating situation and security risks in the Middle East due to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the aftershocks by Iranian military forces.
The maritime corridor, 55 to 95 km wide and connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is the only outlet to the sea for the Gulf’s large hydrocarbon exporters. That’s where it goes a fifth of the oil consumed on the planet and around 20% of global LNG trade.
According to press reports, At least 150 tankers are immobilized in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz and shipping and oil companies are avoiding the crossing. As a result, It has already increased by 10% to $80 per barrel Brent and a greater rise is predicted this Monday, when the official markets open.
In the USA, it was reported that Texas intermediate oil rose 8.42% this Sunday in a first manifestation of what could happen at the start of the week. At the opening of the futures market, crude oil added $5.64 to Friday’s closing figure, when the bombings on Iran had not yet occurred.
The main airlines continued this Sunday with the temporary cancellation of their flights to several countries in the Middle East due to the closure of Israel’s airspace. Almost all airspace in the Middle East region has been closed to commercial traffic and airlines have canceled or diverted their flights.
Author: teleSUR – DE
Source: Agencies – Al Mayadeen – PressTV
