Three U.S. service members were killed and five others were seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday morning.
In addition, several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty, CENTCOM announced.
“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,” CENTCOM said.
The deaths mark the first American casualties reported in the conflict.
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President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on Saturday morning, eliminating Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as well as dozens of other senior Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The joint military operation is expected to carry on for days. Officials tell Fox News that Israel is targeting Iranian leadership, while the U.S. is targeting military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an “imminent threat.”
Trump warned on Sunday against Iranian retaliation over the U.S. and Israeli strikes. He said that if Iran were to “hit very hard,” they would be met with “a force that has never been seen before.”
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It comes as the Iranian regime launched strikes against U.S. interests in neighboring countries in the region in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli joint strikes against Iran’s leaders.
The Iranian response targeted all U.S. bases in the Gulf, except for U.S. bases in Oman, Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin reported.
On Sunday, Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis just miles from Jerusalem.
The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
