The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday confirmed that US forces have carried out sustained operations targeting key Iranian military infrastructure, including facilities associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a post on X, CENTCOM said, "US forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defence capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations. We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime."

CENTCOM added that multiple squadrons of F/A-18 fighter jets are supporting the ongoing campaign, with US forces flying continuous day-and-night missions to deliver what it described as overwhelming firepower. US B-1 bombers also struck deep inside Iran in an effort to degrade the country’s ballistic missile capabilities.

The intensified operations come amid rapidly escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Iran claimed to have launched a "massive missile and drone" attack on a US air base in Bahrain. The IRGC said it destroyed the main command building of the US air base during a drone and missile strike early Tuesday.

According to the IRGC, 20 drones and three missiles hit the Sheikh Isa base, setting fuel tanks ablaze.

Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, stated that Iran will continue to defend itself decisively for as long as what he described as US-Israeli aggression persists.

The conflict has also expanded into Lebanon, where Israel has launched an offensive against Hezbollah. Israel said the head of Hezbollah's intelligence arm was killed in an overnight strike.

 

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Hussein Makled was responsible for "forming the intelligence picture using various intelligence collection tools to provide the Hezbollah terror organisation with intelligence assessments regarding IDF troops and the State of Israel".

The Israeli Air Force also intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the American military operation was aimed at "eliminating" the threat posed by Iran's short-range ballistic missiles and its naval capabilities, particularly those affecting global shipping.

Echoing US President Donald Trump, Rubio warned that further escalation could follow.

"The hardest hits are yet to come from the US military. The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now... The world will be a safer place when we're done with this operation," Rubio said.

"Our mission and our focus are the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and their ability to manufacture them, as well as the threat posed by their navy to global shipping," he added.

With Gulf states now increasingly drawn into the crisis, the scope of the conflict continues to widen across the Middle East.