A massive airstrike carried out by Israeli and U.S. forces struck an Iranian airbase, setting off a massive explosion that sent an ammunition depot erupting into the sky. The strike appears to have targeted Vahdati Air Base in Dezful, a city in Iran's Khuzestan province, on Saturday.
Video footage captured the moment a massive plume of smoke rose over the edge of the city after the explosion. A second fireball can be seen billowing into the sky, followed by a powerful shockwave that forces the person filming to duck for cover. The development comes as Israel's Defense Minister warned that strikes on Iran will "significantly increase" in the coming days.
Israel, US Strike Again
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the US military has carried out strikes on more than 8,000 targets over the past three weeks, including 130 Iranian vessels.
He added that, overnight, US forces dropped several 5,000-pound bombs on a heavily fortified underground facility along Iran's coastline, which was believed to be used for storing anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile launchers, and other military equipment.
"We not only took out the facility, but also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements," Cooper said in video message posted on X.
"Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz has been reduced as a result, and we will continue going after these targets," he added.
Overnight, Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles aimed at the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, roughly 2,500 miles from Tehran.
Neither missile reached its target—one was intercepted, while the other failed mid-flight.
The incident marked a sharp escalation in tensions, coming just hours after Sir Keir Starmer approved a request from US President Donald Trump to use UK-based bombers in operations linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran responded by warning the Prime Minister that the decision had put British lives "in danger," slamming his approval of the use of B-52 bombers and other aircraft operating from RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia to strike Iranian missile sites in the strategically vital region.
No Scene of Peace
In a statement on Friday, the UK government said the strikes fall under its agreement with the US, allowing British-based assets to be used in the "collective self-defence of the region." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said today that Iran's actions targeting the military base posed a clear "threat" to British interests.
They said, "Iran's reckless attacks, lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies.
"RAF jets and other UK military assets are continuing to defend our people and personnel in the region. This government has given permission to the US to use British bases for specific and limited defensive operations."
Before Iran launched its strike on the base, Trump told reporters on Friday that the U.S. was considering scaling back its military operations.
He said American forces were "getting very close" to achieving their objectives, while also criticizing allies for not doing more to support the effort.
Speaking about Britain, he remarked that the UK "should have acted a lot faster," adding that he was "surprised by the delay."
Earlier in the week, he had also labeled NATO allies "cowards" and urged them to step in to help end Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil shipments.
