The United States military reported that its forces have destroyed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command centers, air defence systems, and missile and drone launch sites, as US and Israeli attacks on Iran entered a fourth day and Tehran carried out retaliatory strikes across the region.
The US Central Command, which oversees American operations in the Middle East, said on Tuesday that air defence installations and military airfields had also been hit, though it provided no independent verification.
“We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime,” CENTCOM stated on X.
Earlier, on Monday, CENTCOM claimed that US forces had struck over 1,250 targets within Iran and destroyed 11 Iranian ships.
“U.S. forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations. We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats…” CENTCOM added in a tweet.
The military also confirmed that six US service members have been killed so far, all during Iran’s retaliatory attacks over the weekend on Kuwait.
CENTCOM noted that Kuwait mistakenly shot down three US F-15E fighter jets during the attacks, but all six crew members ejected safely and were recovered.
Widespread destruction in Qom and beyond
Iranian media reported on Tuesday evening that an air strike had leveled the Assembly of Experts building in Qom, a key religious-political institution responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 787 people have been killed since the attacks began on Saturday, with 153 counties affected and more than 1,039 attacks reported nationwide.
According to Iranian military sources, at least 13 soldiers were killed in a US-Israeli strike on a military base in Kerman province.
Additionally, the ISNA news agency reported five deaths among the IRGC’s air force and navy in attacks on Jam and Dir in Bushehr province.
US President Donald Trump indicated that the campaign could continue beyond its projected four-to-five-week timeline, saying Washington possesses “the capability to go far longer.”
Israeli operations expand
Explosions were reported in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz on Tuesday, with Israel targeting Iran’s air defence systems and personnel.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that aircraft struck personnel operating radar and missile systems, as well as sites tied to Iran’s ballistic missile platforms.
In Lebanon, the Israeli army carried out simultaneous strikes on Beirut on Tuesday targeting positions linked to Hezbollah.
These followed attacks earlier on Monday in southern Beirut and southern Lebanon that killed at least 52 people and injured 154, according to state-run media.
Hezbollah claimed it retaliated by attacking Israel’s Ramat David Airbase in the north with “a swarm of drones” at dawn on Tuesday, hitting radar sites and control rooms.
UN voices concern for civilians
Top UN officials expressed alarm over the impact of the attacks on children and civilian infrastructure.
“We are deeply alarmed by attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructures, schools, and hospitals. Schools and hospitals must not be attacked,” said Vanessa Frazier, the special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict, and Najat Maalla M’jid, the special representative on violence against children, in a joint statement.
The officials called for an immediate halt to hostilities, stressing that “maximum restraint is imperative, and full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law must be ensured at all times by all parties.”
Iranian authorities reported that an attack on a primary school in Minab killed at least 165 schoolgirls and staff, and nine hospitals have sustained serious damage.
