Iran Strikes Back As The US Launches New Attacks In 'Dramatic Escalation'
The US carried out a wave of airstrikes against sites in southern Iran on Sunday, prompting a stern response from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). On the latest episode of The Target, Mint Press News' Robert Inlakesh breaks down the fallout from the ongoing escalation across the Persian Gulf.
Over the past week Iranian air defences have shot down a growing number of MQ-9, MQ-1 and MQM-170 drones over their southern airspace. Amidst this, the United States military appeared to be carrying out probing operations using one-way attack drones of the Lucas and Switchblade variants. Tehran's increasingly aggressive approach towards shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, especially in retaliation for an uptick in US airspace violations, then prompted a more robust US attack strategy.
The US has been launching a series of strikes, targeting primarily radar facilities belonging to Iran's Artesh regular Army, with the largest yet taking place this Sunday. Earlier that same day, in response to that previous night's attacks, Iran appeared to have destroyed around 12 ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Then came a targeted attack on the Daymar Island, located off the coast of Oman, which is home to a US radar facility.
Widespread destruction is gripping the Strait of Hormuz, amidst a return to both sides trading blows. In the corporate media however, a very different story is playing out, as reports suggest that a deal could still be on the table. Robert Inlakesh takes a look at the latest and provides an insight into what could truly be transpiring.
On the Yemen front, a series of civilian massacres in the regions of Taiz and Sana'a were carried out by Saudi fighter jets. Yemen's Health Ministry has reported a total of 500 civilian casualties in only five days, as a result of the ongoing bombings. This then prompted a broad missile and drone response from the Yemeni Armed Forces.
One of the missiles managed to directly strike an 'Aramco' owned skyscraper in downtown Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District. Saudi Arabia attempted to downplay the strike by claiming that "shrapnel" caused minor damage and that it thwarted the attack, but was embarrassed as footage of the retaliatory strikes impact was shared on social media.
Although Riyadh has gone to great lengths to censor the results of Yemeni missile and drone attacks across its territory, launching large-scale arrest campaigns against those who publish information, the attack on Riyadh was simply too blatant to cover up.
New footage has also emerged from the battle-field in southern Yemen, featuring Yemeni fighters driving back Saudi-backed militants from the strategic Kahboub mountain range. We take a look at all the latest footage, how this relates to all the other regional fronts, evaluating where things are heading, all on this Monday's edition of The Target stream.