The expense of Operation Epic Fury must be enormous. The loss of 1,000 Iranian military and possibly civilians is tragic because some of them have to be innocent. Such is the horror of war. However, for almost half a century, the US and the region have been attacked or in danger of attack. They have killed US soldiers and keep the region in fear of Iran building nuclear weapons.
It’s terrifying when you hear that we have 50,000 troops, 200 fighters, aircraft carriers, and bombers in the Middle East. “More capability is on the way,” and other nations are becoming involved, which is good and bad.
This could lead to a world war, given all the current turmoil. The temptation to put troops on the ground is ever-present.
We don’t know when this will end or how it will end. We could end up with a violent civil war. Millions of people love the religious fascists. It is high risk.
The goals are to destroy the navy and ballistic missiles.
The Iranian navy has 90 ships, including some frigates and submarines. The US and Israel destroyed 17 warships and damaged a submarine. They have about 2,500 ballistic missile sites. About 200 have been dismantled, although there is no official figure. Reportedly, it prevented another 1,500 from being built.
Iran’s ballistic missiles fired have gone down 86% since the first day of the war.
See the damage to US bases and allies in the Gulf after the clip. Hezbollah entered the war, and Israel is sending troops into Lebanon, telling people in large swaths of southern Lebanon.
Jordan is stopping most attacks by Iran.
Partial transcript
“The operation to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten Americans, as they’ve been doing for nearly half a century, having spent more than 36 years in the military, I could not be prouder of America’s sons and daughters in uniform who are answering the call.
“More than 50,000 troops, 200 fighters, two aircraft carriers, and bombers from the United States are participating in this operation, and more capability is on the way. These forces bring a massive amount of firepower, representing the largest buildup by the US in the Middle East in a generation.
“In the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury, US Central Command forces, together with Israel, delivered overwhelming and unprecedented strikes into Iran. Many of you may remember the shock and awe strikes of 2003. The first 24 hours of this operation were nearly double the scale, and we continue with 24/7 strikes into Iran, from seabed to space and cyberspace. Now we’re less than 100 hours into this operation, and we’ve already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions.
Severely degraded Air Defenses
“We have severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones. And in simple terms, we’re focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us. Our B-2 bombers and B-1 bombers have executed uncontested surgical strikes against multiple missile facilities deep inside Iran, and then just last night, a B-52 bomber force struck ballistic missile and command and control posts. We are also sinking the Iranian Navy, the entire navy.
“Thus far, we’ve destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side. For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping. Today, there’s not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf trade of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman. And we will not stop. We will continue to conduct dynamic targeting operations.
“We’re hunting Iran’s last remaining mobile ballistic missile launchers to eliminate what I would characterize as their lingering launch capability.
“Now, in retaliation, the Iranian regime has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2000 drones. To be clear, Iran is indiscriminately targeting civilians as they launch these missiles and drones. You’ve seen it on TV. The evidence is crystal clear and overwhelming. Having said this, we are seeing Iran’s ability to hit us, and our partners is declining…”
Watch the full rundown:
Update from CENTCOM Commander on Operation Epic Fury: pic.twitter.com/epEohq64Vf
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 3, 2026
Who is involved and how is it going:
Damage to Iran:
Damage to US Assets & Allies That We Know About
The following comes from ABC News via imagery.
Iran has launched missiles into 16 of their neighboring countries, mostly to hit US assets but also hotels and refineries.
Satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows damage at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, including the destruction of several large buildings and two satellite communications terminals.
The Ali Al Salem Base in Kuwait, which hosts U.S. troops, was also visibly damaged, as seen in satellite imagery taken on Sunday. Several buildings on the base show signs of being hit by projectiles, with varying degrees of damage.
Low-resolution Planet Labs imagery also indicates damage at other bases in Kuwait—Camp Buehring and Camp Arifjan, according to analysis done by ABC News’ Visual Verification team.
A satellite image also captured by Planet Labs in the nearby United Arab Emirates shows several fires at the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai on Sunday.
That day, the UAE’s Ministry of Defense said the country had so far been targeted with 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 541 drones. It said it intercepted the majority of these.
Iran hit five hotels in Dubai and a refinery in Saudi Arabia.
Two drones that attempted to attack the Ras Tanura refinery this morning were intercepted and destroyed,” the Saudi Defense Ministry said on Monday.
“The interception operation caused shrapnel to fall near civilian facilities and civilians,” it added, saying the fire was a result of falling shrapnel from the interception, not the drone itself.
