U.S. forces launched what officials described as “self-defense strikes” against Iranian targets on Tuesday evening after an Army Apache helicopter was shot down a day earlier, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM wrote on X, adding that the military operation began at approximately 5 p.m. ET at Trump’s direction.
The U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said.
Trump later blamed Iran for shooting down the aircraft and vowed that the U.S. would respond.
“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier on Tuesday.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he added.
CENTCOM has not publicly released details about the specific targets that were hit. The extent of damage wasn’t immediately known.
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The command has previously described similar actions as defensive operations aimed at protecting U.S. forces and deterring future attacks.
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