Allied jets strike proxy bases in Iraq after coalition air defenses intercept an Iranian ballistic missile salvo targeting US positions.
WASHINGTON— In a dramatic escalation across the Middle East,the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a coordinated salvo of ballistic missiles targeting United States forward operating positions on Tuesday evening, prompting an immediate regional air-defense engagement followed hours later by joint U.S. and Saudi retaliatory airstrikes across eastern Iraq.
The high-stakes engagement commenced at approximately 5:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, when early-warning satellite constellations and regional radar arrays detected multiple ballistic vectors departing launch facilities inside western Iran. Allied integrated air and missile defense networks—anchored by forward-deployed Patriot PAC-3 batteries and naval Aegis interceptors stationed in adjacent waters—scrambled into firing status, successfully neutralizing every inbound projectile before impact.