Following our earlier coverage of tonight's exchange in the Strait of Hormuz
By Bernie,
Following our earlier coverage of tonight's exchange in the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News is now reporting that not two but three U.S. Navy destroyers came under Iranian attack today, in what American officials described as a fiercer and more sustained assault than the barrage earlier this week. The destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Mason, and USS Rafael Peralta were attacked by missiles, drones, and small boats, U.S. Central Command confirmed, with the U.S. military responding by targeting Iranian facilities, including drone and missile launch sites.
The destroyers came under intense fire as swarms of IRGC fast-attack boats maneuvered close enough that American warships opened fire with naval guns to keep them at bay, U.S. officials told CBS News on condition of anonymity. Over several hours, the warships and supporting aircraft mounted a layered defense, firing their five-inch naval guns and close-in weapon systems known as CIWS, with small-caliber gun teams on deck also engaging the attacking vessels. American Apache helicopters fired Hellfire missiles and .50-caliber machine guns, with additional aircraft providing support overhead. Iranian forces also launched drones and missiles during the confrontation. No casualties or damage to the ships have been reported.
this assault is being treated by U.S. officials as a significant escalation in the scale and intensity of Iranian operations against American naval forces in the strait, even as Washington continues to insist that tonight's strikes on Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas do not constitute a restart of the war.
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Missile Defense & Alerts
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