Three American service members were killed and five others were "seriously wounded" during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military said, marking the first confirmed U.S. casualties of the campaign. US Central Command confirmed the deaths on Sunday morning, just a day after Donald Trump ordered a wave of deadly strikes aimed at Iran's leadership.
Several others who suffered minor shrapnel wounds and concussions have been treated and are getting ready to resume duty. "Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty," US Central Command wrote on X. "Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing," the post added.
US Suffers First Casualties
"The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified."
A U.S. official said the conflict with Iran is now expected to stretch on for weeks, though no clear timeline has been given by Trump. Speaking later on Sunday, Trump said the operation against Iran is "ahead of schedule."
"Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing," CENTCOM said in an update Sunday morning.
US Central Command said it is holding back the names of the "fallen warriors" until at least 24 hours have passed after their families have been notified out of respect for loved ones. It's still not clear where the American service members were killed during the conflict.
Tehran retaliated by launching a wave of attacks on U.S. military bases across the Middle East following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Earlier this morning, Iran raised its so-called "Red Flag of Revenge," vowing to strike the U.S. and Israel with a "force never experienced before."
Militants linked to the Islamic State launched missiles and attack drones toward U.S. regional partners, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait — all of which host U.S. military bases.
Trump addressed the nation on camera from Mar-a-Lago shortly after the strikes began on Saturday morning. He warned that U.S. troops could lose their lives during the operation, adding that "we may have casualties."
US on High Alert
In the past, Trump's military actions against Iran were short, limited strikes aimed at avoiding a long, regime-change war with Tehran. Saturday's attack marked a sharp shift, becoming the first time Trump used U.S. military force in the Middle East with the explicit aim of bringing down a country's government.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it retaliated by targeting a U.S. aircraft carrier in response to the killing of the country's Supreme Leader, while also launching drone attacks across the Middle East.
State media claimed the USS Abraham Lincoln was hit by "four ballistic missiles." The Pentagon later denied the carrier was struck, saying the missiles "did not even come close."
Iran also carried out retaliatory strikes across neighboring Gulf states, with explosions reported in Qatar, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Trump responded by vowing to hit Iran "with a force that has never been seen before," after the IRGC said it had attacked nearly 30 U.S. military bases across the region on Sunday morning.
Israeli state television later reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had also been killed in airstrikes.
At dawn, thick black smoke was seen rising from a U.S. airbase near Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq, following what the IRGC described as its most ferocious counterattack.
Israel announced in the early hours of Sunday that it had launched a new "strike wave" aimed at Iran's ballistic missile and air defense systems, after Iranian drones and missiles were fired toward Tel Aviv and intercepted midair.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had begun a "sixth wave" of "extensive missile and drone" attacks targeting 27 U.S. military bases. The full scale of the damage remains unclear.
The escalation came as Iran formally confirmed that Ali Khamenei was killed inside his home office. "To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return," an Iranian news agency said.
Two senior military figures—Ali Shamkhani and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour—along with four of Khamenei's close family members, were also killed in the Tehran strikes early Saturday.
