LAST UPDATE | 9 Jun

US FORCES HAVE launched retaliatory “self-defence strikes” against Iran, in a major escalation that threatens the fragile ceasefire between the two countries.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement this evening that US forces began launching strikes at 10pm Irish time today “at the Commander in Chief’s direction”, describing the operation as a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression” following the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter.

The military statement said the action was taken in response to the loss of the aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz, where two pilots were involved and are understood to be safe and uninjured.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) 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…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026

President Donald Trump had earlier said Iran shot down a US military helicopter while it was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States would “of necessity respond” to the incident.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump described the helicopter as “highly sophisticated” and said the attack on it would not go unanswered, though he did not initially confirm US strikes had been carried out.

The escalation comes after a brief flare-up of strikes between Israel and Iran over the weekend, which had appeared to ease into a tentative ceasefire on Monday.

Iran had attacked Israel in response to its bombing of the Lebanese capital Beirut, further widening a regional conflict involving multiple fronts across the Middle East.

While a ceasefire agreement is nominally in place between the US and Iran, both sides have disputed its scope, with disagreement over whether Lebanon is included in the pause in fighting.

Israel and the US have denied that interpretation, and Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon would continue despite Iranian warnings of retaliation.

Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the city of Tyre killed at least eight people today, with the Israeli military warning residents to evacuate shortly before the strike.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March have killed more than 3,600 people and displaced more than one million, according to Lebanese health authorities.

On the Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Israeli army.

Israel and the Lebanese government recently agreed to extend a nominal ceasefire, although negotiations have not included Hezbollah.

With reporting from AFP