The IRGC announced on Sunday that its Aerospace Force has intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle over Ahvaz in southwestern Iran.
It said the drone was brought down by an advanced new air defense system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force under the command of the country's integrated air defense network.
The announcement came as the Iranian Army continued its retaliatory campaign against American military targets in the region. Earlier on Sunday, the Army said it had carried out the 16th and 17th phases of Operation Thunderbolt, launching explosive drones against two major US military facilities in Kuwait in response to repeated American attacks that have claimed civilian lives and targeted Iran's infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Major General Ali Abdollahi warned that any further US aggression against Iran would draw a "decisive and devastating response" from the country's Armed Forces.
Reaffirming the military's allegiance to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, the commander said Iran would impose costs on Washington greater than those incurred during the previous two rounds of US-Israeli aggression.