US says it shot down two Iranian drones headed for Bahrain, denying Iran's claim it destroyed a US radar

WASHINGTON (Nov. 13) — The U.S. military said Friday that it shot down two Iranian attack drones headed toward Bahrain, rejecting a claim by Iran's Revolutionary Guard that it had destroyed a U.S. early-warning radar in the Gulf kingdom, the Associated Press reported.

"The IRGC launched two one-way attack drones toward Bahrain and both were shot down by US forces. There were no injuries or damage," U.S. Central Command said in a statement, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

The Guard said its aerospace force struck the radar in response to what it called an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, a port town in Iran's Hormozgan province on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's official IRNA news agency had reported Thursday that Sirik was hit by "enemy" fire, without naming an attacker or giving details of damage or casualties. The Guard's statement also stopped short of directly blaming the United States, RFE/RL reported, and CENTCOM's statement did not mention Sirik.

The Guard called the strike a "serious warning" to stop what it described as aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that its forces stand "in full readiness to engage without limits" if the attacks recur, Reuters reported, as carried by Al Jazeera. Neither side's account could be independently confirmed.

It is the first time since early September that Iran has claimed an attack on U.S. military assets in a Gulf country, according to Reuters. The Guard also said a tanker struck a naval mine while trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, causing an explosion, the AP reported.

The exchange comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran rise again. Israel's security cabinet has ordered the military to step up preparations for a possible attack on Iran, Israeli media including public broadcaster KAN reported, according to Reuters.