- Iran has launched a retaliatory missile strike on the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters within the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, causing explosions and thick smoke over Manama.
- The attack is part of Iran’s “Operation Truthful Promise 4,” launched in response to “major combat operations” initiated by the United States and Israel against Iranian targets earlier on Saturday.
- While U.S. officials have not released a casualty report, explosions were also reported near U.S. bases in Qatar and the UAE, with Jordan intercepting two ballistic missiles aimed at its territory.
Iran has launched a retaliatory missile strike on a major United States naval installation in Bahrain, triggering loud explosions and sending plumes of smoke into the skies over the Gulf nation’s capital, Manama.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the strike came hours after the United States announced the commencement of large-scale combat operations against Iranian targets earlier on Saturday.
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Iranian forces said they targeted the headquarters of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, located within the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.
The attack was confirmed by Tasnim News Agency, a semi-official Iranian media outlet associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Residents and military personnel in Bahrain were warned of an incoming missile attack shortly after Washington declared the beginning of its offensive campaign.
Within minutes of the alert, explosions were heard across the city, with witnesses reporting thick columns of smoke rising from the direction of the U.S. base.
The full extent of the damage remains unclear as of press time, and U.S. authorities have yet to release an official casualty report.
Air raid sirens and emergency missile alerts were activated across parts of the Middle East following coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets.
U.S. embassies in Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel issued urgent advisories urging American citizens to shelter in place.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry announced that its air defense systems intercepted several projectiles aimed at its territory. Jordan also reportedly intercepted two ballistic missiles, according to Reuters.
In a video posted shortly after the strikes began, U.S. President Donald Trump said the mission, codenamed “Operation Epic Fury”, was aimed at dismantling Iran’s missile capabilities and crippling its naval forces.
“I do not make this statement lightly: the Iranian regime seeks to kill,” Trump said. “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we’re doing this, not for now, we’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”
