Iran claims drone strikes at US airbase in UAE

Tehran: The Iranian Army on Monday claimed that it carried out drone strikes at the locations of the helicopter and forces stationed at the Al Minhad airbase in the UAE in response to the US attacks against Iran on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the Iranian Army said, “From early Monday morning, in response to the recent aggression by the aggressor enemy and in retaliation for the martyrdom of the brave personnel of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and innocent Iranian compatriots on Larak Island, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army targeted the locations of the helicopters and forces of the child-killing US military at the Al Minhad base in the UAE by launching dozens of attack drones.”

The Iranian Army mentioned that the Al Minhad base is one of the important centres used for supporting and transporting foreign forces, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. It expressed readiness to ensure Iran’s security until the enemy threat is removed from the region and warned that it will “avenge the blood of all the martyrs of the imposed war from the American terrorist forces.”

The Iranian Army’s statement comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it carried out retaliatory strikes against US military positions in the region.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday that the UAE Air Force responded to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) detected over the country’s territorial waters, approaching from Iran. The ministry expressed the readiness of the UAE’s Armed Forces to address any potential threats.

“The Ministry affirmed that the Armed Forces remain on a high state of readiness to address any potential threats, while air defence systems continue to monitor and safeguard the country’s airspace around the clock. The Ministry also urged the public to rely exclusively on official sources for information and to refrain from circulating rumours or inaccurate information,” UAE’s Ministry of Defence posted on X.

Earlier in the day, the IRGC said that it conducted a missile and drone operation against the US King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases in Jordan in retaliation for the US’ attack on Larak Island.

The IRGC said that it carried out an attack on the technical and maintenance infrastructure and fighter-jet bases at the US King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Larak Island is a small Iranian island located off the coast of Bandar Abbas, east of Qeshm Island and south of Hormuz Island.

The IRGC’s action came after the US forces on Sunday (local time) struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island.

US Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins said, “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that the US military was “monitoring the area closely and remains prepared to protect the free flow of commerce” through the strategic waterway, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Iran’s IRGC said several military personnel and civilians were killed or wounded in a “US-Israeli” attack on Iran’s Larak Island in Hormozgan province on Sunday night.

IANS