US and Iran count rising toll as Epic Fury spreads across Middle East

Tuesday 03 - 07:00

By: Dakir Madiha

US and Iran count rising toll as Epic Fury spreads across Middle East

The death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint United States and Israeli airstrikes has plunged the Middle East into a fast‑escalating regional war that is already killing large numbers of civilians and soldiers on all sides. Khamenei was killed when his compound in Tehran was struck during the opening wave of Operation Epic Fury, a coordinated campaign that has targeted Iran’s senior leadership, missile infrastructure, and military command centers. Iranian state media and multiple international outlets have since confirmed his death and reported that several high‑ranking security officials were also killed in the same series of strikes.

In Washington, President Donald Trump said the operation would continue until Iran’s missile forces and naval assets are destroyed, its nuclear ambitions are blocked, and its support for armed proxies is curtailed, signaling that the campaign could last weeks rather than days. US Central Command reported that American and Israeli forces have achieved air superiority over key parts of Iran and have hit hundreds of targets, including ballistic missile launch sites, naval facilities, intelligence centers, and bases linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Israeli officials have described the opening sorties as some of the largest in their history, involving large numbers of fighter jets striking targets across western and central Iran in near‑simultaneous waves.

Tehran has responded with mass missile and drone attacks against Israel and US forces stationed across the Gulf, framing its actions as retaliation for the killing of its leader and the scale of destruction inside Iran. Iranian officials and allied media say barrages of ballistic missiles and armed drones have been launched toward Israel as well as US‑linked facilities in Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. These strikes have forced regional states to activate air defenses around key airbases and energy infrastructure, raising fears that critical shipping lanes and oil facilities could become sustained targets.

The human cost is climbing quickly. US Central Command has confirmed that at least six American service members have been killed so far, with additional personnel wounded in attacks on bases in Kuwait and elsewhere in the region. Inside Iran, authorities and humanitarian organizations report hundreds of deaths from the initial waves of bombing, including large numbers of civilians caught in strikes near military facilities. One of the deadliest incidents occurred at a girls’ school in the southern town of Minab, where dozens of children were killed when a strike hit close to a nearby Revolutionary Guard naval installation, a tragedy documented by Iranian officials and independent monitors.

Regional spillover is already evident as allied armed groups react to the confrontation. Hezbollah has stepped up attacks on Israel from Lebanon, while Iranian‑aligned networks threaten to open new fronts against US assets in the wider region. Western and Gulf governments are reassessing military postures, hardening defenses around bases and embassies, and preparing for further disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attempts to challenge maritime traffic have added another layer of risk. Diplomats warn that the next phase of the conflict will hinge on whether Iran expands proxy operations and whether Washington and its partners are prepared to consider ground deployments in addition to the ongoing air and naval campaign.