U.S. Central Command has denied reports that American forces struck a sports hall and residential area in Lamerd, Iran, during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.
In a statement, CENTCOM spokesperson U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said the command reviewed the claims and determined they were false. He said U.S. forces “did not launch any strikes at any time into the city of Lamerd or anywhere within 30 miles” that day.
CENTCOM also disputed video footage circulated by some media outlets that allegedly tied the U.S. military to the incident. The command said the munition shown in the video was not a Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM.
According to the statement, a PrSM is 13 feet long, while the munition seen in the footage appeared to be about twice that size. CENTCOM said its dimensions and silhouette were instead consistent with an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.
The U.S. military also said its forces do not target civilians. In the same statement, CENTCOM accused Iran’s government of striking civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times.
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