The U.S. military bombed Iranian military sites for three hours, from 7 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, for the ninth consecutive evening of attacks, U.S. Central Command said.
The military attacked “Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks to further diminish Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
“The strikes will continue degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.
CENTCOM said on Sunday that U.S. military personnel have found “unidentified remains” at the Jordan base where an Iranian aerial attack killed two American service members and left another missing on July 17.
“An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing,” CENTCOM said.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that the military struck the Islamic regime “very hard again” in honor of the service members killed in the Iranian attack on Jordan.
“We did that in honor of the probably three—it’s probably three as opposed to two—great patriots,” the president said. “Those great patriots were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
“Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They’ve lost everything almost militarily; they’ve got very little left. They’ve got some missiles. They’ve got some drones. They’ve got some manufacturing ability. Not much,” he continued.
“We control the Strait [of Hormuz]. They don’t control anything, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump added.
U.S. forces have redirected six vessels and disabled another since the naval blockade of Iranian ports was reinstated on July 14, CENTCOM said on Sunday.
The number of commercial vessels redirected as part of the naval blockade increased from five on Saturday, according to the command.
Zamir: IDF ready to ‘immediately resume combat’
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the Jewish state was prepared to “immediately resume combat” as it closely monitors regional tensions involving the Iranian regime.
“We are closely monitoring developments in Iran and maintaining a high level of readiness,” Zamir said during a situational assessment held at the Judea and Samaria Division.
“We monitored today’s launch toward the Aqaba area [in southern Jordan], and our Aerial Defense Array remains on alert to protect Israeli civilians,” he continued, adding that “we are prepared to immediately resume combat and will act with great determination against anyone who harms us.”
Israeli defense officials believe that the likelihood of a further escalation with the Islamic Republic has increased significantly in recent days, Channel 12 News reported on Monday.
“We are preparing for every scenario and developing both immediate and long-term operational options,” a senior Israeli official told the outlet. “If the Americans decide to escalate or involve Israel, or if the Iranians take action against us, we will be ready.”
