The United States military says it destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a large-scale strike, a move that has escalated tensions across the Middle East. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the IRGC had been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 Americans over the past 47 years and described the operation as cutting off “the head of the snake,” adding that the strike left the IRGC without a central headquarters.
Israel reported it also struck dozens of Iranian military command centers, including intelligence facilities, IRGC Air Force bases and internal security sites. Israeli officials said the attacks severely damaged Iran’s command-and-control capabilities and eliminated key personnel.
The operations came after reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader was killed on Saturday. Explosions were heard in Tehran as Iran retaliated with missiles and drones targeting Israel, US bases in the Gulf and other regional cities, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
CENTCOM posted a statement on social media describing the scale and intent of the operation, saying the US military’s action was aimed at degrading the IRGC’s ability to conduct further attacks. Details on the exact locations hit, casualty figures and the broader operational plan were not released in full by US or Israeli officials at the time of the statement.
