Hezbollah Drones Hit Israeli Air Base; US Strikes Iran Targets in Regional Escalation

Earlier, IRNA News Agency reported that the Israeli regime attacked the headquarters of Al-Manar, a broadcaster affiliated with Hezbollah. According to IRNA, Al-Manar resumed broadcasting its programmes minutes after the reported strike. Earlier, Israel said that the head of Hezbollah's intelligence arm was killed in an overnight strike, and Beirut said it would ban the terror group's military activities.

The Israel Defence Forces confirmed that the overnight strike in the Lebanese capital killed Hussein Makled, whom it called "the head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters."

The developments come amid heightened hostilities in West Asia, with cross-border strikes and aerial interceptions raising concerns about further regional spillover.

The IDF said Makled was responsible for "forming the intelligence picture using various intelligence collection tools to provide the Hezbollah terror organisation with intelligence assessments regarding IDF troops and the State of Israel." The Israeli Air Force also intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles that crossed from Lebanon.

Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing West Asian tensions, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday that the US forces carried out sustained operations targeting key Iranian military infrastructure, including facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a post on X, CENTCOM said, "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 posed by the Iranian regime."

CENTCOM also said that multiple squadrons of F/A-18s are supporting sustained operations against Iran. According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces are flying day and night to deliver overwhelming firepower. U.S. B-1 bombers also struck deep inside Iran to degrade Iranian ballistic missile capabilities. This enhanced use of firepower comes amid escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

Separately, Al Jazeera reported that Iran claimed to have launched a "massive missile and drone" attack on the US air base in Bahrain. Iran's IRGC said it destroyed the main command building of a US air base in Bahrain during a drone and missile attack early Tuesday. It said that 20 drones and 3 missiles struck the Sheikh Isa base, also setting fuel tanks on fire.

Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, stated that Iran will continue to defend itself decisively for as long as the US-Israeli aggression persists.

- ANI