There were zero casualties as a result of retaliatory strikes from the Islamist Iranian regime in response to the opening salvo of the Operation Epic Fury military operation by the United States, CENTCOM said on Saturday.
Operation Epic Fury represented the “largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation,” according to a statement released on social media from U.S. Central Command.
“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,” CENTCOM said.
“The President ordered bold action, and our brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen are answering the call,” said CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper.
Central Command said that its forces “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks,” with zero American casualties or combat-related injuries reported during the opening series of attacks on Saturday.
U.S. military installations in the region only suffered “minimal” damage as a result of Iranian strikes and operations were not impacted, CENTCOM said.
“Operation Epic Fury involves the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation,” the U.S. Central Command said, adding that the “first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea.”
CENTCOM also confirmed earlier reports that the U.S. deployed “low-cost one-way attack drones” for the first time in a combat operation as a part of its “Task Force Scorpion Strike” on Saturday.
According to the Times of Israel, the state-backed Iranian Red Crescent Society NGO said there were at least 201 people killed and 747 wounded in Iran as a result of the U.S.-Israel strikes on Saturday.
It remains unclear if any senior leaders in the Islamist regime were killed in the strikes, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted earlier on Saturday as saying that the Ayatollah was alive “as far as I know”.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that they conducted the “largest military flyover” in their history, saying that 200 Israeli Air Force (IAF) jets completed a “broad strike against the missile array and the aerial defense systems of the IRGC in western and central Iran.”
The IDF said that over 500 targets in Iran were hit, including “aerial defense systems & missile launchers” in simultaneous strikes across Iran.
“Conducted following precise planning with excellent intelligence, while synchronizing hundreds of fighter jets, the strikes allowed the expansion of the IAF’s aerial superiority over Iranian air space.”
President Donald Trump on Saturday urged the Iranian people to seize the opportunity of the strikes to topple the Islamist government in Tehran, saying that the “hour of your freedom is at hand”.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations… now is the time to seize control of your destiny,” he said.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here