Israel Iran war live updates missile strikes marked a rapid escalation after joint US and Israeli forces opened Operation Epic Fury with strikes inside Iran that targeted command centers, missile sites and air defenses, and which the Israeli military and US Central Command say killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with scores of senior officials.
The operation has provoked broad retaliatory fire, as Iran launched missile and drone strikes at US bases and regional cities, and Hezbollah fired projectiles from Lebanon into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said, prompting Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and warnings for civilian evacuations near the border.
US Central Command confirmed three US service members were killed and five were seriously wounded, and said other personnel sustained minor injuries, while CENTCOM and the White House described continued strikes on Iranian ballistic missile systems and command nodes, including strikes conducted with B‑2 stealth bombers, as part of efforts to eliminate imminent threats.
Iranian and regional reports described civilian damage and deaths across several countries, with Lebanon’s health ministry reporting at least 31 dead and 149 wounded after Israeli strikes, Iranian state and semi official outlets reporting heavy casualties at a girls’ school in Minab and a hospital in Tehran being badly damaged, and the Iranian Red Crescent cited by CBS News giving a nationwide toll across Iran.
Regional Effects Reactions And Risks
Air travel and energy flows were disrupted, with thousands of flights canceled according to aviation analytics referenced in reporting and oil benchmarks spiking sharply; OPEC+ signaled a production increase to steady markets, while countries including the UK granted limited access to bases to support US operations, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Global and regional leaders reacted with a mix of condemnation, calls for restraint and offers of diplomacy. Iran’s security secretary Ali Larijani said Tehran would not negotiate with the US, and Iranian officials announced an interim leadership council, while international figures including the IAEA director general told the agency there was, to date, no indication of damage at key nuclear installations.
Congressional briefings were scheduled as senior US officials prepared classified updates for lawmakers, and US embassies in the region issued shelter in place orders and personnel movements, reflecting concern for civilian safety and the potential for further escalation across multiple theaters.
Analysts and officials cited risks of wider conflict, including cross border strikes and cyber or asymmetric retaliation, and warned that damage to missile stockpiles and leadership decapitation could produce an uncertain succession and power struggle inside Iran, even as some domestic and diaspora crowds expressed hope for change.
