U.S. Central Command announced that American forces, operating alongside Israeli forces, launched Operation Epic Fury – a large-scale coordinated strike campaign against Iranian military and regime targets early February 28, 2026. CENTCOM issued a statement on Twitter / X stating that Operation Epic Fury was conducted at the direction of the President of the United States. The statement included:
“U.S. and partner forces began striking targets at 1:15 am ET to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that posed an imminent threat. Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.”
The operation began with precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea platforms. Among the initial strikes was a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles and air-launched missiles fired from U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force jets. Hundreds of strikes were carried out by the U.S. in the first 12 hours. The operation appears planned as a multi-day campaign, one that required joint U.S.-Israel planning over several months. (Reuters, Feb 28, 2026)
Initial reporting indicates targets included Khamenei’s office compound, Ministry of Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, nuclear-related targets, military research facilities, and other important targets.
According to a social media account (Twitter/X, @LeventkemaI) the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has released a list of senior Iranian officials killed in the first day of attacks:
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- Mohammad Pakpour: Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces
- Ali Shamkhani: Senior Security Advisor to the Supreme Leader
- Mohammad Shirazi: Head of Military Office of Ali Khamenei
- Aziz Nasirzadeh: Minister of Defense
- Salah Esadi: Intelligence Chief of “Khatam al-Anbiya”
- Reza Mozaffari-Nia: Former Deputy Defense Minister
- Hossein Jabal Ameli: Deputy Defense Minister
Many of those listed above were present at a meeting at a compound in Tehran Saturday morning. Some reporting suggests that based on this intelligence the timeline for the operation on Iran was accelerated. The death of Ayatollah Khamenei, age 85, has been announced by Israeli, U.S. officials, and by Iranian state media. Speculation is ongoing about who will succeed Khamenei. At age 85 there was likely a continuity plan already in place. (The Washington Post, Feb 28, 2026)
The United States has amassed a very large strike force in the region in the past several weeks. More than a dozen U.S. warships, including two aircraft carriers are in the Middle East region. This force buildup took place at the same time that negotiations with Iran to dismantle its nuclear program were in progress. A third round of indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran took place on Thursday, February 26, 2026, with no resolution.
Image: Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operating area, Nov. 23, 2025. (Courtesy Photo CENTCOM)
Used in the opening wave were low-cost one-way attack drones employed by CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS). Some reports state that the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones were sent into the U.S. Central Command operating area in November 2025. These drones can be used with different mechanisms – to include catapults, rocket-assist, and mobile ground and vehicle systems. The autonomous, long-range drones cost about $35,000 and were developed by reverse-engineering Iranian Shahed-136 technology. Read more about the LUCAS drones in “U.S. Launches One-Way-Attack Drone Force in the Middle East”, CENTCOM.mil, December 3, 2025.
Following the initial wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes the Iranians launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East. Damage to U.S. installations was minimal and did not impact operations. There were no reports of U.S. casualties. Iran launched missiles and drones against targets in Israel as well as Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, and Bahrain.
Internet access in Iran has been restricted. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps announced that no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz. The strait connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. The strait is located between Oman and Iran. (map, NSI)
And Hezbollah? Israel severely degraded Hezbollah during the 2024 conflict. Attacks by Israel continued through 2025 and into early 2026. The groups influence and leverage in the Lebanese government has diminished since Fall 2024 and it is now more politically vulnerable. Read more in “Hezbollah’s Limited Options for Supporting Iran”, Institute for the Study of War, February 28, 2026.
The Gulf States. One important development was the targeting by Iran of U.S. facilities in several Gulf countries. The reaction was swift with some Gulf states condemning Iran’s attacks. Support for Iran among the Gulf states was almost non-existent. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that it has ‘dealt’ with 137 missiles and 209 drones launched by Iran within the first 24 hours of the attack on Iran.
U.S. officials argue that limiting Iran’s nuclear capability could reduce its ability to support regional proxy networks, ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, and grow its influence in the Middle East.
Operation Epic Fury appears designed as a decapitation-plus-suppression campaign – simultaneously targeting leadership, air defense, and missile forces to prevent an organized Iranian response during the opening phase.
**********
Top Image: President Trump monitors U.S. military operations in Iran: Operation Epic Fury, at Mar-a-Lago situation room, February 28, 2026. (Photo courtesy of White House twitter / X).
