Iran-Israel09 March, 20262 min read
Iran live updates: 7th killed service member is identified
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Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was the seventh U.S. service member killed in Saudi Arabia President Donald Trump announced major combat operations; joint U.S.-Israel strikes targeted military, government sites
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Middle East strikes and responses
President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 28 that the United States had launched "major combat operations" with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Iranian state television confirmed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes, and his son MojtabaKhamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.
Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations.
The article says Israel is intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Seventh U.S. service member killed
The Defense Department identified the seventh U.S. service member killed from Iranian attacks as Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky.
Pennington was wounded on March 1 when his base in Saudi Arabia was attacked and died from his injuries on Sunday, the Defense Department said.
A source familiar with the situation told ABC that Pennington was at a strategic radar site that’s part of the early warning systems for missile defense.
U.S. leaders on Iran
At an event honoring wrongful detainees and hostages, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran's retaliation 'laid bare the threat it poses to countries near and far' and accused Tehran of trying to 'hold the world hostage' by attacking neighbors, energy infrastructure, civilian populations and embassies.
Rubio called Iran 'This is a terrorist government. This is a terroristic regime,' and offered a moment of silence for the seven Americans killed.
President Trump told Fox News's Brian Kilmeade that ships holding at the Strait of Hormuz need to 'show some guts' and push through the channel, saying, 'There's nothing to be afraid of, they have no Navy, we sunk all their ships... and all but 20% of their launchers.'
President Trump also said he was 'not happy' with the selection of Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader of Iran.
Israeli raid and Hormuz
The Israeli military said it had begun on Monday a "targeted and limited" raid in southern Lebanon that it says is aimed at Hezbollah infrastructure. The military posted that "Prior to the entry of ground forces, numerous terror targets were struck from the air and ground."
The Israeli military said the operation "aims to strengthen forward defensive positions and provide an additional layer of protection for residents of northern Israel." The article also notes the Strait of Hormuz is the critical maritime passageway between Iran, Oman and the UAE through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.