Strikes resume on Iran, U.S. military says Tehran's defenses 'severely degraded'

"U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday that Iran's "air defenses and hundreds of ballistic missile launchers and drones" were "severely degraded" following U.S. and Israeli strikes on 2,000 targets. In a video posted on X, Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, described the U.S. operation as "ahead of our game plan.""

"The Israeli military said Wednesday a "broad wave of strikes" targeted internal security command centers in Tehran, as well as missile launchers and other systems. The strikes came amid preparations in Iran for three days of funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which were set to begin on Wednesday evening."

"The scale of the campaign - the largest buildup of U.S. forces in the region since the war in Iraq in 2003 - has sharpened questions in Washington about how far it could expand. The U.S. has deployed 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers in the Middle East, according to U.S. officials."

The conflict between Israel and Iran escalated into its fifth day with Israel conducting broad strikes against internal security command centers, missile launchers, and other military systems in Tehran. Iran postponed three days of planned funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, citing overwhelming public response without specifying a new date. U.S. Central Command reported that combined U.S. and Israeli strikes targeted 2,000 Iranian positions, severely degrading air defenses, ballistic missile launchers, and drones. The U.S. military destroyed 17 Iranian ships and Iran's most operational submarine. Iran retaliated with over 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones. The U.S. deployed 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, and two aircraft carriers to the region, marking the largest military buildup since the 2003 Iraq War.

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