US Central Command on Sunday confirmed that three US troops have been killed and several more have been wounded since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on Saturday morning, as Iranian missiles and drones have struck US bases in the region in retaliation.
“As of 9:30 am ET, March 1, three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM wrote on X.
“Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing,” the command added.
When announcing the war in a short video statement on Saturday morning, President Trump said he expected there would be American casualties. “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. But that happens in war,” he said.
CENTCOM didn’t specify where or how the American troops were killed. Two US officials speaking to The New York Times said that the US assets that have been hit by Iranian attacks in the region include an Army base housing US troops in Kuwait. US bases have also been hit in Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, and likely in other parts of the region.
Iran has also been able to launch significant missile strikes on Israel. On Sunday, an Iranian missile hit the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, killing at least nine people and wounding 28.
The Iranian Red Crescent said Saturday that at least 201 people have been killed by US and Israeli attacks in Iran, but the number is likely higher now as heavy strikes have continued. According to local authorities, at least 148 people, mostly girls between the ages of seven and 11, were killed by a US or Israeli strike on an elementary school in southern Iran.
HRANA, a US-funded and US-based NGO that’s very critical of the Iranian government, has said that it confirmed at least 133 civilians were killed in the US and Israeli strikes on Saturday. Iranian state media has confirmed the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior leaders.
