Iran latest: US-Iran tensions escalate after retaliatory strikes

The U.S. launched retaliatory attacks on Iranian targets early Thursday morning in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter. 

Air Force and Navy jets struck air defense capabilities, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command reported in a statement released after the operation was over. It described the operation, which had begun approximately four hours earlier, as proportional and said it was done in self-defense.

The strikes were in response to the downing of a U.S. Army Apache AH-64 attack helicopter on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz. The aircraft was patrolling the regional waters near Oman when it went down. President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the crash and said the U.S. "must, of necessity, respond to this attack."

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that the helicopter had collided with an Iranian drone. The AP report indicated that it was not clear if that collision was intentional.