An Iranian-made missile lies on the ground near Damascus, Syria. After Iran downed a US military helicopter with a drone on June 8, a series of retaliatory strikes followed between US and Iranian forces. [Reuters]
An Iranian-made missile lies on the ground near Damascus, Syria. After Iran downed a US military helicopter with a drone on June 8, a series of retaliatory strikes followed between US and Iranian forces. [Reuters]

The US military has concluded its strikes against Iran following the shootdown of a US Army helicopter by an Iranian drone.

The US Central Command said Monday in a statement on its official X account that it had completed a "self-defense strike" in response to Iran's downing of a US Army Apache helicopter. CENTCOM said US Air Force and Navy fighter jets used precision-guided munitions to strike Iranian air defense facilities, above-ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. The command added that the operation was proportional to recent Iranian attacks targeting US forces and international commercial vessels transiting the waterway. CENTCOM also said it "remains vigilant and postured to defend against any unprovoked Iranian attacks."

Iranian media also confirmed that the US strikes carried out in response to the helicopter shootdown had ended. State-run Press TV reported that morning that US attacks on southern Iran had subsided.

After an Iranian drone shot down the US Army Apache helicopter on June 8, President Donald Trump signaled a military response, vowing to hold Iran accountable. US forces subsequently carried out what they described as "proportional" strikes against military facilities inside Iran.

Iran appeared to respond to the US strikes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps posted on its Telegram account that morning that it had launched missiles and drones at US military targets in the region.


kate01@heraldcorp.com