Three US Service Members Killed in Operation Epic Fury as Iran War Enters Second Day

Three American service members have been killed in action and five more seriously wounded during Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command confirmed Sunday — the first American combat deaths since the massive U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran began less than 36 hours ago. CENTCOM said several other troops sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are being returned to duty. The casualties came as the operation entered its second day with intensifying strikes, including the first combat deployment of B-2 stealth bombers carrying 2,000-pound bombs against Iran's hardened ballistic missile sites. President Trump announced that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian Navy ships and 'largely destroyed' Iran's naval headquarters, declaring the Islamic Republic's fleet 'at the bottom of the sea.' Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also reportedly killed in the opening round of Israeli airstrikes, adding to the toll of senior regime figures eliminated since the operation began. The American deaths transform an operation that initially reported zero casualties into one with real human cost, and will intensify the political debate over a war that Congress has not formally authorized.