A fourth U.S. service member has been killed in the Iran operation over the weekend, the U.S. military said.
Three service members were killed Sunday, and five others were seriously wounded by shrapnel in the operation, which U.S. officials have named Operation Epic Fury.
“The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries,” U.S. Central Command wrote on X.
“Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing.”
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, paid tribute to the four slain service members, saying during a press conference, “Our deepest heartfelt condolences are with their families. We will never forget you.”
Caine then noted that the U.S. operation in Iran are not a “single overnight operation.”
“This is major combat operations,” he said. “We expect to take additional losses.”
President Donald Trump shared a similar message Sunday in a video posted on Truth Social, during which he said, “Sadly, there will likely be more…before it ends, that’s the way it is. Likely be more.”
The U.S. and Israel launched coordinated attacks against Iran over the weekend, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials, prompting a furious Iranian response that threatens a wider regional war.
Three close American allies, Britain, France and Germany, said they were ready to join forces with the U.S. to stop Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes.
Following Khamenei’s death, the Islamic Republic must now choose a supreme leader for the first time since 1989. Trump had urged Iranians to seize the opportunity to “take over” their government.
Khamenei, 86, had no designated successor, and as a result, Iranian officials have said a new supreme leader would be chosen within the coming days.
There have been scattered celebrations over Khamenei’s death, but Internet restrictions in the country have muffled what’s actually happening.
The strikes this weekend came as the U.S. and Israel spent weeks monitoring the movements of senior Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, in preparation for the attack.
The U.S. has said it is willing to talk with Iran’s new leaders, even as U.S. military bases throughout the region remain a target of Iranian attacks.
In retaliation, Iran’s military has targeted Israel and U.S. bases in the region, killing at least four U.S. service members. Other Iranian strikes have killed several people in the Gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Trump has suggested the conflict could go on for the next four weeks, after earlier saying the operations are “ahead of schedule.”
Iran was firing missiles at Israel and Arab states Monday, reportedly hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait as Israel and the U.S. continued striking targets in Iran.
It comes as the U.S. military’s Central Command said Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15E Strike Eagles. All six aircrew on board ejected safely, have been found and are in stable condition, Central Command said.
With reporting by the Associated Press.
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