Iran Kills Seven US Service Members During US-Israel Operation Epic Fury

US Central Command and multiple outlets report that seven American service members have been killed during Operation Epic Fury, which the US says began with major U.S. and Israeli combat operations on February 28; CENTCOM described the latest death as one of the seven killed in action and said "Major combat operations continue."

“- Seven American service members have been killed as part of combat operations against Iran”

Insider

Sources note the deaths occurred amid strikes and counterattacks tied to the broader US-Israel campaign.

Insider

TIME similarly reported seven American service member deaths in the days since the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February.

CENTCOM and US officials provided a timeline of the casualties: on March 1 CENTCOM said three service members were killed and five seriously wounded in combat operations, and the military later reported one of the injured died on March 2.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that four of the service members were killed at a fortified tactical operation center "while they were engaged in air defense against Iranian munitions,"

TIME

CENTCOM said two service members who had been missing after Iranian strikes were later declared dead after their remains were recovered from a facility that Iran struck.

The reports stress that the seven deaths are part of ongoing "major combat operations" tied to Operation Epic Fury, and CENTCOM said nine American service members remain seriously wounded from Iranian attacks across the Middle East.

“- Seven American service members have been killed as part of combat operations against Iran”

Insider

Officials and the US presidency framed the losses as sacrifices in an active military campaign: President Donald Trump said the nation grieves for "the true American patriots" who made the ultimate sacrifice and warned there may be "more before it ends."

Available reporting ties the deaths directly to the US-Israel campaign that began in late February, noting at least one service member injured in an Iranian counterattack on Saudi Arabia died after being wounded "one day after the start of major US-Israeli combat operations."

The articles make clear the situation remains an active combat campaign and that CENTCOM and US leaders continue to characterise operations as ongoing; the provided sources do not offer additional, independently verified detail about exact locations for all casualties or broader operational outcomes.

TIME