Tehran, July 17 -- Iran has claimed that it has struck several US military aircraft stationed in Jordan with ballistic missiles and drones in retaliation for overnight US strikes on multiple places in the Islamic republic that claimed the lives of at least eight people. This came hours after Jordan's military said it shot down three Iranian missiles, reporting no casualties or damage, as the war in the Middle East escalated. In a statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they have destroyed "several US refuelling aircraft and fighter jets" and caused "serious damage to many more." They also called on Jordanians to target "the interests of the aggressive and anti-Islamic Americans" in their country.

US Command Centre In Syria Targeted

The IRGC said they had also attacked a US special operations command center at al-Tanf in Syria in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr, state media reported. MillenniumPost could not independently verify the claim, and there was no immediate comment from the Syrian government or the US military either. US Military Withdrawal From Syria The US military in February said it has completed a withdrawal from the al-Tanf base positioned at the tri-border confluence of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.

Syria has sought to avoid being drawn into the regional conflict that has engulfed neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where Hezbollah has fought Israeli forces, and Iraq, where Iran-backed armed groups have launched drone and rocket attacks. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in March that his country would stay out of any conflict unless it came under attack. "Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict," Sharaa said at an event hosted by the Chatham House think tank in London. The Guards also said Iran retained full control of the Strait of Hormuz and that no oil or gas would be exported through the waterway for as long as U.S. attacks continued, according to the state media report.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.