TEHRAN - A spokesperson for Iran’s Army said on Tuesday that Iranian fighter jets carried out strikes against “enemy” positions in the region at the outset of the joint US–Israel war that began in late February.

“At the start of the war, our Air Force carried out several sorties, striking enemy bases in regional countries — including the counter-revolution base in Erbil, Iraq, as well as targets in Kuwait and Qatar,” Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia said on Tuesday, according to IRNA news agency.

Last week, NBC News reported that an Iranian F-5 fighter jet bombed Camp Buehring in Kuwait at the beginning of the war. Citing two officials, the report described the incident as “the first time an enemy fixed-wing aircraft has struck an American military base in years.”

The aircraft reportedly penetrated layered American air defenses despite the presence of Patriot missile batteries, short-range interceptors, advanced radar coverage, and persistent regional surveillance networks.

The NBC report also said Iran carried out strikes against more than 100 targets across 11 US bases in the region.

The report has seriously challenged claims by the administration of President Donald Trump that the United States had destroyed Iran’s military capabilities.
Such developments are reshaping perceptions of American military dominance and exposing vulnerabilities across Persian Gulf bases. 

The United States and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28. During 39 days of fighting, which led to a two-week ceasefire beginning on April 8, Iran’s military and civilian infrastructure — including residential areas — was bombed, claiming the lives of thousands of people.

In response, Iran struck Israeli targets as well as US bases in Persian Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait.