The U.S. forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. Wednesday stateside, retaliating against Iranian missile attacks on American forces in the region, raising the specter of escalating conflict after a brief pause. U.S. Central Command described the operation as a “powerful response” to Tuesday’s “attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. Jordan’s armed forces said the country’s air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran. U.S. and Saudi Arabia armed forces launched joint strikes Tuesday against Iran-allied militias in Iraq that had targeted oil facilities in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia’s Eastern region. Yemen’s Houthis had claimed attacks on Saudi pipeline infrastructure feeding the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu.