US airstrikes resume on Iran; Tehran launches counterstrikes

Army’s top civilian resigns as criticism of Hegseth deepens

The US launched additional airstrikes against Iranian targets, reigniting direct military hostilities after the six-month conflict had shifted to an economic standoff. Iran responded with counterstrikes targeting American interests in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq.

Both sides had recently signaled willingness to respond to further attacks, highlighting how quickly the conflict could spill back into military action from its recent economic phase.

The Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 were injured when shrapnel from a US missile struck a home where a wedding celebration was taking place in the city of Kuhestak. “The US military never targets civilians,” US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said.

The resumption of hostilities comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces growing criticism over his stewardship of the Pentagon’s senior ranks. Senator Jack Reed, a senior Democrat, accused Hegseth of “hollowing out” the Army’s senior leadership following the resignation of Daniel Driscoll, the Army’s top civilian leader.

“It is far past time for Trump to recognize the lasting harm Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense … cultivating a culture where dissent is punished and competence is secondary to personal allegiance,” Reed said.

The leadership concerns extend beyond personnel decisions. Emil Michael, a Pentagon official overseeing military artificial intelligence policy, reaped profits this year of up to $24 million by selling his private investment in Elon Musk’s AI company, according to records reviewed by the Guardian. He has since sold his holdings in another AI company for between $5 million and $25 million, the records showed.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, the aircraft carrier at the center of reports about deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health among crew during months at sea as part of the Iran operation, has arrived at a Thai port.

MSI previously reported that Hegseth was considering summoning hundreds of senior military personnel back to Marine Corps Base Quantico for a second address this year, a move that would revisit the unusual gathering he convened last fall to roll out new priorities for the armed forces.