Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on United States targets in the Middle East for a fourth consecutive night, following a large-scale bombing campaign by the US and Israel on targets in Iran and Lebanon The joint US-Israeli bombardment, which included a strike on the Assembly of Experts building in Qom, Iran, and a hotel near Beirut, has resulted in a death toll surpassing 800 in both countries, according to Al Jazeera
In response, Tehran has targeted US assets across the region. Iranian drones struck and damaged US Navy facilities at the 5th Fleet's main headquarters in Manama, Bahrain Following the attack, US Navy Central Command informed all service members and contractors that the area was no longer considered safe Other Iranian strikes were reported on the US embassy in Dubai and a port in Fujairah, both in the United an Arab Emirates
This latest escalation marks a new phase of symmetric drone warfare. The initial US strikes, designated Operation Epic Fury, saw the first-ever combat deployment of the LUCAS one-way attack drone This American-made system is modeled directly on Iran's Shahed-136 drone, which Tehran used in its counter-strikes US Central Command's Task Force Scorpion Strike confirmed it is using the low-cost drones in ongoing combat operations The tit-for-tat use of near-identical drone technology by both sides signals a significant technological and strategic development in the escalating conflict
ISN MEDIA
