U.S. forces shot down two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attack drones heading toward Bahrain, and no casualties or damage were reported, U.S. Central Command said.
CENTCOM rejected an IRGC claim that an American early-warning radar station in Bahrain had been hit, according to Vesti Baku.
“The IRGC launched two attack drones toward Bahrain, and both were shot down by U.S. forces,” the command said. CENTCOM called the assertion that the radar had been destroyed false.
Tehran and Washington Give Conflicting Accounts
The IRGC earlier said the radar had been targeted in response to a strike on a telecommunications facility near the Iranian port of Sirik in Hormozgan province. Iran’s military described the operation as a warning to the United States.
Washington did not confirm that the facility was destroyed and reported only that two drones had been intercepted. There was also no independent information confirming damage to the radar.
It was the first time since early September that Iran said it had attacked a U.S. military facility in a Persian Gulf country. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Regional Tensions Remain High
The incident came amid the continuing U.S.-Iran conflict, restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The sides continue to trade accusations, leaving accounts of military incidents in need of independent confirmation.