American military forces have launched strikes against Iran after investigators determined that Iranian forces were responsible for shooting down a US Army Apache helicopter, US Central Command announced Tuesday.
The military action commenced at 5 p.m. Eastern Time following direct orders from President Donald Trump, according to a statement released on social media by US Central Command.
“US Central Command forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” the command stated.
The strikes followed President Trump’s earlier declaration that America would retaliate after military investigators determined Iran was behind the helicopter incident.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump revealed that military leadership had briefed him on their investigation results.
“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,” President Trump wrote.
The president confirmed that both aviators aboard the aircraft made it out safely.
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he stated.
The helicopter went down Monday evening in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. According to two sources speaking to The New York Times, both crew members were recovered without sustaining injuries.
Initially following the crash, questions remained about whether enemy fire or mechanical failure caused the aircraft to go down. President Trump made public remarks about the incident soon after it occurred, and a follow-up investigation concluded that Iran had deliberately attacked the helicopter.
The incident took place during a lull in hostilities between Iran and Israel after recent tensions had escalated.
Military officials have not disclosed what specific mission the helicopter was conducting when it was hit.
Based on US Central Command documentation, Apache helicopters serve multiple combat roles, including targeted strikes, supporting ground forces, and surveillance operations.
Both US Central Command and President Trump have not revealed specific information about which targets are being hit in the retaliatory strikes or the expected duration of the military response.
