Overview
- Iranian missiles and drones struck across the region as Israel conducted new raids in Beirut and claimed simultaneous strikes in Tehran, with Lebanese officials reporting dozens killed and Saudi Arabia confirming two drones hit the U.S. Embassy compound in Riyadh without reported injuries.
- Trump said the operation is ahead of schedule and could run four to five weeks or longer, laid out goals to destroy Iran’s missile arsenal and navy, halt its nuclear ambitions, and cut support for militias, and declined to rule out deploying ground troops if deemed necessary.
- U.S. Central Command has confirmed six American service members killed to date, and three U.S. jets were downed by Kuwaiti air defenses in an apparent friendly-fire incident with all six crew members recovered safely.
- Regional fallout intensified as Qatar said it downed two Iranian bombers and halted liquefied natural gas production after attacks, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to set ships ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz, flights were disrupted from Cyprus to Dubai, and Amazon reported drone damage to data centers in the UAE and near Bahrain.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the campaign as limited to degrading Iran’s capabilities, with Rubio describing a preemptive rationale tied to an expected Israeli-Iran clash, as lawmakers prepared for closed-door briefings on the operation.