The US military has been using a mix of missiles and drones to strike Iran and has relied on its top air defenses to protect its Middle East bases from retaliation, a US official told Business Insider on Saturday.
US warships launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iranian targets, while ground forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military developments.
American forces also used drones and undisclosed standoff weapons. Strikes were launched from US military land, sea, and air assets.
Iran has responded to the US strikes, which were carried out alongside Israel, by launching barrages of missiles at targets across the Middle East, including major American bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
The official said that MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, batteries have been used to shield the Middle East from the Iranian retaliatory strikes. US Navy warships have also been launching Standard Missile interceptors.
An unspecified number of Iranian missiles have been intercepted by American forces, the official said, adding that there has been no critical or significant damage to US facilities, nor have there been any American casualties. Bahrain said a major American Navy base was attacked.
Some other countries in the region, including Qatar, which hosts the US military’s largest base in the Middle East, have confirmed shooting down Iranian missiles. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “British planes are in the sky” as part of coordinated defensive operations.
An Israeli official told Business Insider that they are aware of “a few dozen” Iranian missiles launched so far. Tehran has fired multiple volleys over several hours.
President Donald Trump announced earlier on Saturday that the US had begun “major combat operations” in Iran following the collapse of talks aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear and military capabilities.
His announcement came shortly after the Israeli government said it had carried out a “preemptive” strike against Iran.
US ground, air, and naval forces were involved in the strikes, along with Israeli fighter jets. The UK, which has military assets in the Middle East, was not involved in offensive operations.
Saturday’s strikes mark the second time in less than a year that the US has taken direct military action against Iran. American forces bombed the country’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 as part of Operation Midnight Hammer.
The US has surged military forces into the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Sea in recent weeks as Trump suggested that he may move forward with another round of strikes. These assets include more than a dozen warships, including two aircraft carriers, and hundreds of fighter jets and support planes.
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