By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) — U.S. forces announced on Wednesday that they had carried out a 12th consecutive night of targeted strikes against Iranian military targets, following directives from President Donald Trump.
Key details from the operation include:
• U.S. forces targeted Iranian military installations, encompassing maritime assets, missile and drone storage sites, coastal surveillance stations, and air defense batteries, the U.S. Central Command said.
• In July alone, U.S. forces hit dozens of Iranian facilities on the ground and re‑established a maritime blockade against the country.
• The most recent operation spanned approximately five hours.
• The conflict escalated after U.S. and Israeli forces launched an assault on Iran on February 28, prompting retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulfത്തിൽ states hosting U.S. bases.
• U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, as well as Israeli attacks on Lebanon, have resulted in thousands of casualties and displaced millions.
• Recent reports note that U.S. combat fatalities have climbed to 18.
• President Trump vowed that each Iranian attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger the destruction of a bridge or power plant within Iran.
• He has earlier threatened to strike Iranian energy and infrastructure facilities.
• Iran’s Joint Defense Forces warned that if such actions were executed, their own forces would retaliate against regional oil, gas, electricity, and economic infrastructure, according toCGPoint-media.
• The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on facilities deemed essential for civilian life.
• U.S. international law experts have cautioned that these operations could constitute war crimes following różk’s 2024 remarks.
• Trump’s broader threat to dismantle Iran’s civilization earlier that month drew widespread condemnation.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Clarence Fernandez)
