Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out drone attacks on 21 US military targets early Wednesday, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The IRGC described the operation as retaliation for recent US airstrikes in southern Iran. In a statement broadcast by state media, the force warned that it would take harsher retaliatory measures if US military operations continued.

The IRGC also claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Bushehr province and targeted Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem air base. Kuwait’s military confirmed the attack but said its air defense system successfully intercepted the drones. The escalation follows extensive US strikes on 20 Iranian targets, including a telecommunications tower, in southern Iran’s Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm Island areas.

According to the IRGC, several key facilities, including an F-35 hangar at a Jordanian air base, were destroyed during the operation, signaling a sharp rise in regional tensions.