US carries out defensive airstrikes on Iran's Qeshm Island: Officials
The United States carried out defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, two U.S. officials told ABC News.
The airstrikes do not signal the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, but were the latest limited strike carried out by U.S. forces in recent weeks, an official said. In recent weeks, Iran has increased the number of attacks directed at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
Unlike previous strikes in response to such attacks, the U.S. airstrikes in recent weeks had not been publicized to prevent any signaling that the strikes were part of the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, according to the official.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the airstrikes were limited in scope and characterized as defensive strikes, the two U.S. officials said. The term defensive strikes has been used to describe the retaliatory strikes carried out by the U.S. in response to Iranian attacks on shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Monday's U.S. airstrikes on Qeshm Island were in response to an Iranian attack on a U.S. aircraft, said one official.
Earlier in the day, Iran had claimed that it had shot down two RQ-170 reconnaissance drones, a claim that was said to be false by a U.S. official.
Iranian state media later reported several explosions being heard on Qeshm Island.
U.S. Central Command did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment about Monday's defensive strikes.
