U.S. strikes Iranian military sites; Iran retaliates by targeting air base

U.S. Central Command said fighter aircraft struck Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones along Iran's Gulf coast over the weekend. The command stated the strikes responded to the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone operating over international waters and to threats against ships in regional waters.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the U.S. for an attack on southern Iran, without naming the base.

Kuwait air defenses active Air defenses in Kuwait intercepted missile and drone attacks on Monday as sirens sounded across the country, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA reported. The U.S. and Iran have conducted sporadic exchanges since a ceasefire took effect in early April. A similar exchange occurred last Thursday and was described in comparable terms by both sides.

Broader context The war that began on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and raised global energy prices after Iran restricted access to the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations continue over sanctions relief, frozen Iranian oil revenues, and other issues.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered troops to move further into Lebanon against Hezbollah. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about a plan for gradual de-escalation, a U.S. official said.