Iran said it launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East on Wednesday after the U.S. military attacked Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) targets on Tuesday.
In the early hours of Wednesday, a spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement that in response to the U.S. military attacks, the Iranian military deployed dozens of attack drones to strike radar systems and U.S. military garrisons at the Al Dhafra Air Base and Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The statement said that military operations against the U.S. forces would continue until the U.S. regrets its actions.
It also warned that if the U.S. continued its military operations in the region, it would face a stronger response and any country cooperating with the U.S. forces would have to bear the resulting consequences.
U.S. forces on Tuesday launched fresh strikes on IRGC targets in Iran, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The development marked a new escalation following a fresh exchange of attacks between Washington and Tehran on Sunday, the first known conflict between the two sides since late July.
Iran launches retaliatory strikes on US targets
A joint Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission has uncovered cultural relics and archaeological remains at the Temple of Sekhmet site in Mit Rahina, Giza Province, west of Cairo, according to Shanghai Museum at a press conference on Tuesday.
The discoveries provide new evidence of how the area surrounding the temple was used and inhabited across successive periods of ancient Egyptian history.
The mission is jointly conducted by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Shanghai Museum in east China, and is co-led by Reham Zaki of Supreme Council of Antiquities and Chen Jie, deputy director of the Shanghai Museum.
The mission found a residential complex near the temple, along with stone blocks and fragments of statues. Archaeologists also uncovered a limestone structure believed to have been used for wine production.
Other finds include stone blocks, statue fragments and pottery. Some of the stone artifacts date to the New Kingdom period (1550 BC-1069 BC).
Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy praised the fruitful archaeological cooperation between Egypt and China, describing the two countries as home to two ancient civilizations with rich cultural heritages.
The latest discoveries demonstrate the close and growing cooperation between the two countries in archaeology, following a number of joint archaeological projects in recent years, according to Fathy.
Chen said that the two sides had already begun in-depth cooperation as early as during the exhibition "On Top of the Pyramid: the Civilization of Ancient Egypt," jointly held by the Shanghai Museum and Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Chen said the joint archaeological mission will continue to conduct surface surveys and archaeological excavations of the Temple of Sekhmet and its surrounding areas over the coming quarters, with the aim of further determining and reconstructing the architectural layout, construction process, history of use, landscape changes and evolution of civilization of the temple and even the Memphis area.
The Shanghai Museum will work with Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities to establish a long-term cooperation system covering archaeological excavation, research, conservation, exhibition and utilization, and further promote academic exchanges and mutual learning between the two countries in the field of archaeology, said Chen.
The Sekhmet Temple, discovered by chance in 1959, formed part of the Great Temple of Ptah, the main religious complex of ancient Memphis.
The ancient city of Memphis, founded around 3100 BC, served as the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom period and remained an important religious and cultural center for centuries.
Egyptian-Chinese archaeological team announces new discoveries at ancient Memphis site
