US and Iran Trade Attacks as Tensions Escalate in Middle East

The United States and Iran continued their military exchanges overnight, with the US Central Command announcing its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets. The US said it hit Iranian coastal surveillance and air defense facilities. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, and Syria, as well as targeting two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump said the latest strikes were carried out in honor of US service members recently killed. "We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the, probably three, it's probably three great patriots," he told reporters. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a ship caught fire off the coast of Oman, near Kumzar. The cause of the fire is not yet known. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage and called on other countries to protect global shipping. He added that the US remains open to a diplomatic solution. In a separate development, Israeli forces and settlers shot and killed two Palestinians in the town of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The IRGC also announced a "surprise attack" on a command center in Syria's al-Tanf, saying it was revenge for soldiers killed in southeastern Iran.