Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday claimed it had destroyed Patriot air defence systems, a THAAD missile defence radar, an MQ-9 Reaper drone depot and other military infrastructure in retaliatory strikes on US bases in Jordan and Kuwait, as tensions between Tehran and Washington continued to escalate.In a statement carried by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said its forces targeted US military facilities in Jordan in response to what it described as repeated American attacks on Iranian territory.“Honorable and noble people of Jordan, your Mujahideen brothers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in punishment of the child-killing American army and in response to the repeated aggressions against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed a radar of the American THAAD missile defense system with lightning strikes on American bases,” the IRGC said in the statement.The IRGC claimed that a Patriot air defence system and a C-RAM radar were also destroyed, while fuel tanks at a US base were set ablaze. It further alleged that a helicopter equipment warehouse along with a helicopter repair and maintenance facility was destroyed during the strikes.Addressing the people of Jordan, the IRGC said it respected the country’s sovereignty but argued that the presence of US military bases violated Jordan’s territorial integrity.“It is our legal, religious, and logical right to target the aggressor of our country and the murderer of our children from wherever they attack,” the statement added.Separately, the Iranian Army announced the 23rd phase of Operation Lightning, claiming it launched drone strikes on three US military bases in Kuwait.“In response to the continued arrogance and aggression of the evil enemy against our country, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s army, in the twenty-third phase of Operation Lightning, a few hours ago, targeted the ammunition and logistics depots of the child-killing US army at the Doha base, the fuel tanks at the Ali al-Salem base, and the ammunition depot at the Arifjan camp in Kuwait with massive attacks by its destructive drones,” the statement said.The IRGC also claimed that accommodation facilities for US personnel, helicopter hangars at Al-Adiri barracks and communication infrastructure were among the targets.The latest claims come days after two US service members were killed in an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a US military base in Jordan.The US military’s regional command has said that more than 50,000 American service members are currently deployed across the Middle East and remain “highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”The Iranian claims could not be independently verified, and there has been no immediate confirmation from the US military regarding the reported damage.
