Three members of the U.S. military lost their lives, while five others suffered serious injuries during Operation Epic Fury, according to a Sunday morning statement by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM also reported that several additional personnel experienced minor shrapnel injuries and concussions, with efforts underway to return them to active duty.
“Given the evolving situation and to honor the families involved, we will delay releasing further details, including the names of our fallen soldiers, until 24 hours after notifying the next of kin,” CENTCOM stated.
These incidents represent the first American fatalities in the ongoing conflict.
Smoke billows over the city center following a second wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran on Saturday. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump initiated Operation Epic Fury on Saturday morning, leading to the elimination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous high-ranking Iranian officials, including the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The joint military operation is expected to carry on for days. Officials tell Fox News that Israel is targeting Iranian leadership, while the U.S. is targeting military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an “imminent threat.”
Trump warned on Sunday against Iranian retaliation over the U.S. and Israeli strikes. He said that if Iran were to “hit very hard,” they would be met with “a force that has never been seen before.”
A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which accompanied a press release describing the operation dubbed “Epic Fury,” an attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, shows smoke and dust rising following an explosion at an unknown location, in this image obtained from social media released on February 28, 2026. (US CENTCOM via X via REUTERS )
It comes as the Iranian regime launched strikes against U.S. interests in neighboring countries in the region in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli joint strikes against Iran’s leaders.
The Iranian response targeted all U.S. bases in the Gulf, except for U.S. bases in Oman, Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin reported.
On Sunday, Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis just miles from Jerusalem.
A map of Western strikes against Iran (Fox News)
The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.
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