US and Iran Engage in Direct Military Confrontation Over Strait of Hormuz

Tensions between the US and Iran in the Gulf now appear to be escalating into a direct military confrontation amid the tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have carried out large-scale drone and ballistic missile attacks on US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. At least four ballistic missiles and several drones were fired towards US bases. Air defense systems were activated throughout the Gulf region after this attack, and explosions were heard in many places. The latest fighting began with the shooting down of a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, followed by a US retaliatory strike. The US military attacked radar, air defense, and surveillance bases around Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm Island in southern Iran. Iran then announced to launch a retaliatory strike. Iran claimed to have launched a missile attack on the US Navy's headquarters in Bahrain at around 2: 30 am, according to local media.