Washington, Mar 1 (EFE).- Three American service members have been killed in action and five others seriously wounded during the military operation against Iran, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday.
“Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of returning to duty,” the military said in a statement, adding that major combat operations will continue.
These are the first known US casualties since Washington and Israel launched aerial strikes against Iran on Saturday under “Operation Epic Fury,” which resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and several other military leaders, including the defense minister.
“The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen service members, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified,” the statement said.
The US and Israeli offensive began early Saturday, targeting sites in Tehran and other Iranian cities, including Tabriz in the northwest and Isfahan in central Iran. The military strikes continued into Sunday.
The attacks have so far resulted in more than 200 deaths in Iran, according to Red Crescent estimates.
Since the initial strikes, Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against Israel and US military bases in neighboring countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, causing damage that has yet to be officially quantified.
On Sunday, an Iranian missile struck the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, killing at least nine civilians, according to search and rescue service Zaka. EFE
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