Shortly after 10 a.m. C.T. on Tuesday, reports began circulating on social media that Iran’s Mehrabada International Airport in Tehran had been hit by Israeli strikes. This has yet to be confirmed by official U.S. Central Command channels. The Israeli hit follows Iran’s strikes on airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the U.A. E. and in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Additionally, six U.S. service members have now been reported killed in Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command said Monday after recovering the remains of two previously unaccounted-for troops from a facility hit during Iran’s initial attacks in the region. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification.
President Donald Trump issued a statement on Sunday asserting that the joint operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved,” and could last “four weeks or less,” with the potential for more U.S. casualties, as reported on by The Dallas Express. In an interview with the New York Times, Trump projected a duration of “four to five weeks.”
On Truth Social late Monday, Trump wrote that “The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better” and that the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited supply of these weapons. Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies.”
Iran’s death toll from the strikes climbed to 787, the Iranian Red Crescent said Tuesday, up from 555 reported the day before. Local media reported at least 13 Iranian troops killed in airstrikes on the Kerman Air Base in southeastern Iran.
The strikes have also killed at least 11 people in Israel.
U.S. and Israeli forces pressed attacks on Tuesday. Israel said it was conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut and had positioned troops in southern Lebanon in a “forward defense posture” to defend civilians. A military spokesman described the move as “not a ground operation” but “a tactical measure.”
The U.S. military said it destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
Kuwait shot down three U.S. F-15 jets in what the military called a “friendly fire incident,” though all crew members are safe, as The Dallas Express reported. Two drones attacked the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, causing minor damage, Saudi officials said.
The State Department expanded evacuations of non-emergency personnel and families to six nations, adding the United Arab Emirates to the list that already included Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said it was closed indefinitely “due to ongoing regional tensions.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee advised Americans there that evacuation options were “VERY LIMITED,” mainly via bus to Egypt.
The conflict entered its fourth day after weekend strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Major combat operations continue.
For more in-depth prior coverage on Operation Epic Fury and related developments, check out these key reports from The Dallas Express:
- War Powers Act vs. Iran Strikes: A Constitutional Look
- No Endless War: Hegseth Says Strikes Against Iran Are Laser-Focused
- Khamenei Reportedly Dead: Iran’s Supreme Leader Killed In Operation Epic Fury
- Fourth American Dies From Iran Attack Wounds; Separately, 6 Pilots Eject Safely From Friendly Fire Jet Downings
- Trump Says Khamenei Is Dead, Iranian Forces Seeking Immunity, Urges Iranians To “Take Back” Country
- “Operation Epic Fury Unleashed: The World Is Watching”
- “First Combat Use: How CENTCOM’s Budget One-Way Attack Drones Changed The Game In Operation Epic Fury”
- “President Trump Announces ‘Major Combat Operations’ As U.S., Israel Strike Iran”
- “Missile Attack Reported At U.S. Navy 5th Fleet Service Center In Bahrain”
