US Fighter Jet Strikes Iranian Missile Sites at Jask and Qeshm After Anti-Ship Missile Launches

A US fighter jet struck Iranian surface-to-air missile launchers at Jask and on Qeshm Island on the evening of November 7, after Iran fired several missiles at the US aircraft. Four explosions were heard at Jask and two on Qeshm, with Iranian state media confirming blasts at both locations. It marked the first time two separate sites were struck on the same night since early September, escalating an ongoing pattern of limited US military action against Iranian coastal and island positions near the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes came after a flurry of Iranian military activity in the region. Anti-ship cruise missiles were launched from Bandar Khamir, Bandar Jask, and Qeshm Island, with explosions also reported in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television acknowledged the blasts could be connected to Iranian military actions in the strait, though Iran's Tasnim News Agency cited a source saying the explosions on Qeshm were not related to missile strikes, creating conflicting accounts.

Earlier in the evening, US military aviation intensified across the Gulf, with flight-tracking data showing at least six KC-46A Pegasus tankers and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon operating over the region, one tanker tracked near Kish Island. Iran was also reported to be repositioning anti-ship cruise missile launchers around Bandar Lengeh, potentially to target US Navy-escorted vessels transiting the strait. The November 7 strikes followed a previous US strike on Qeshm Island the day before, which targeted an Iranian air-defense launcher that had engaged a US F/A-18 and was linked by Iranian reports to the downing of an MQ-9 Reaper drone.

A Reuters report from earlier the same day added a broader dimension: the US military was looking to extend its naval blockade by restricting Iranian land commerce as well, signaling a potential escalation in economic pressure alongside the military exchanges near the strait.