Washington: The US military announced on Wednesday that it had successfully carried out a two-hour operation targeting dozens of Iranian sites. This action was in response to recent missile launches by Iran aimed at American forces in the Middle East. The strikes were focused on military command centers, drone and missile facilities, coastal defense sites, and other strategic locations within Iran. The US described these actions as a "powerful response" to what it termed an "attempted surprise attack" by Iran. According to France24.com, the US military had earlier intercepted multiple ballistic missiles launched by Iran at US forces, which were stationed in the Middle East. Iran later confirmed that it had targeted US bases in Jordan. Following the interception, President Donald Trump pledged a strong retaliation, stating, "We're going to hit them very hard." The US Central Command released a statement on social media platform X, describing the strikes as a significant response to the attempted Iranian attac ks. The coordinated strikes began at 8 pm ET on Wednesday and concluded at 10 pm ET, successfully hitting several key targets associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These included command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites. Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia and the United States launched attacks on militant bases in Iraq, while Israel accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire. The situation has been escalating, with Saudi Arabia reporting drone attacks on its crude facilities, attributing them to Iraqi armed groups aligned with Tehran. Iran, in turn, launched missiles at US ally Jordan. Iranian state media later reported an American attack near Iran's border with Iraq. President Trump reiterated the US's stance on Fox News, affirming, "We'll be hitting them hard... We are going to beat the effing s out of them." Iran's state television reported a US strike in the Piranshahr border area, with no casualties reported. Meanwhile, Jordan's arm y claimed to have intercepted five Iranian missiles. In another development, Israel accused Hezbollah of deploying a drone against an Israeli vehicle in Lebanon, calling it a "blatant violation of the ceasefire." Israel, which has previously fought alongside the US against Iran, has yet to participate in the latest round of strikes. The recent events have caused a downturn in US stocks, driven by a spike in oil prices, while US Treasury bond yields reached their highest levels since 2007. In Iraq, a joint US-Saudi operation targeted logistics and weapons sites associated with Iran-aligned groups. The Hashed al-Shaabi alliance reported at least 20 of its members were killed, denouncing the strikes as a "dangerous escalation." The Iraqi government condemned the US-Saudi attacks, emphasizing its rejection of any acts of aggression. Despite this, Fox News reported that President Trump asserted the strikes were "coordinated with the Iraqi government." This comes amid heightened US pressure on Iraq to disarm pro -Iran groups. The ongoing tensions have also impacted the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded. The US has imposed new sanctions targeting entities linked to Iran's Guards, accusing them of extorting ships transiting the strait. The closure of Hormuz has increased the importance of the Red Sea as an alternative export route for Saudi Arabia.