US, Iran exchange fresh attacks as regional tensions escalate — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has reported fresh strikes on several targets in Iran on the fifth day of escalating hostilities, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out retaliatory attacks on US bases in the region using drones and missiles. Over the past four days, the United States has conducted strikes on targets in Iran, with Tehran responding by targeting American military facilities in the region. CENTCOM announced the latest strikes in a statement posted on its X account at 11:43pm Afghanistan time on Thursday. In a subsequent statement, the command said the strikes targeted “command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities and coastal surveillance facilities” in Iran, adding that the operation had been completed. CENTCOM said the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s “ability to threaten innocent sailors” aboard commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said it used “precision-guided munitions” to strike multiple locations across Iran, including Bandar Abbas. Meanwhile, Iran’s IRNA news agency, citing Mahmoud Qodrati, director-general of security and administrative affairs in Semnan province, reported that the provincial airport was hit during overnight US strikes. He said the incident caused no casualties. The IRGC, in a statement, said it had targeted a US early-warning radar system at the Ali Al Salem air base in…