JERUSALEM — U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28 under codenames that include “Operation Epic Fury” (U.S.) and “Operation Roaring Lion” (Israel), with official Israeli materials also showing naming variants such as “Rising Lion” on IDF navigation.
In its Feb. 28 launch statement, U.S. Central Command said U.S. and “partner” forces began striking at 1:15 a.m. ET, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command-and-control facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. CENTCOM said the first hours included precision munitions from “air, land, and sea,” and confirmed first combat use of “low-cost one-way attack drones” by “Task Force Scorpion Strike.”
Reuters reported that U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine described an opening sequence that included cyber and space-based disruption, followed by a large air wave of more than 100 aircraft and early Tomahawk strikes, after a final presidential “go order” on Feb. 27.
Israel’s military, the Israel Defense Forces, describes “Operation Roaring Lion” as a broad joint effort to remove what it calls an “existential threat,” saying it is striking Iranian military targets and senior officials while focusing heavily on degrading missile and air-defense systems that enable attacks on Israel.
Iran has rejected the U.S.-Israeli framing and described the strikes as unlawful aggression. In a Feb. 28 statement, Iran’s foreign ministry said the attacks violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and claimed a right to respond under Article 51.
Casualties and Damage: What Is Verified and What Remains Unclear
CENTCOM said that as of 4 p.m. ET March 2, six U.S. service members had been killed in action, including two previously unaccounted-for personnel whose remains were recovered from a struck facility.
On the Israeli side, Reuters video reporting cited Israel’s ambulance service as saying at least nine people were killed in an Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh on March 1.
Reuters also reported Iranian missiles and drones struck across Gulf states hosting U.S. forces, citing UAE state media that one civilian was killed in Abu Dhabi, with several other impacts and interceptions reported in the region.
In Lebanon, Reuters reported Hezbollah opened a new front with attacks on Israel, followed by Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs; Lebanon’s state news agency reported at least 31 killed and 149 injured.
Casualty totals inside Iran remain difficult to independently verify amid restricted access and a renewed internet blackout. NetBlocks reported connectivity dropping to about 1 percent of ordinary levels during the shutdown.
Iranian state media and officials have made high-casualty claims about strikes hitting civilian sites, including a reported school incident in Minab. Reuters reported the U.S. said it would not deliberately target a school and said details remained under review; Reuters noted the incident had not been independently verified.
Nuclear-Linked Sites and Independent Verification
A key uncertainty is the extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it had limited ability to verify conditions on the ground and was relying heavily on satellite monitoring, according to Reuters reporting.
Reuters reported the Institute for Science and International Security assessed commercial imagery (Vantor) indicating two buildings and an access ramp at Natanz associated with underground enrichment halls appeared destroyed, while attribution between U.S. and Israeli forces remained unclear.
Regional Reactions and Legal-Diplomatic Fault Lines
International reactions have been sharply divided. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council there is “no viable alternative” to peaceful settlement and warned of uncontrollable escalation, while noting many early reports were unconfirmed.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Reuters reporting, called the attacks a “clear violation” of international law and urged diplomacy. China condemned the attacks and called for an immediate ceasefire and talks, Reuters reported. Reuters’ international reaction roundup also quoted senior Russian figures condemning the strike and questioning U.S. diplomacy.
At the same time, Reuters reported U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington acted “preemptively” because it expected an Israeli strike would trigger Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces in the region; Rubio said the aim was to reduce expected casualties. That rationale, and broader “imminent threat” claims, remain central to debates over legality, necessity and proportionality.
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters warned Iran and its proxies could pursue targeted attacks and that Iran-aligned “hacktivists” may escalate cyber activity such as denial-of-service incidents and defacements.
What Comes Next
Operationally, the conflict’s trajectory points to continued strike and counter-strike cycles, heightened air and missile defense demand, and expanding economic disruption. Reuters reported shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been shut down and that energy facilities and diplomatic sites have come under attack as the war widens.
Analysts at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said public U.S. and Israeli statements overlap on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but diverge on messaging, partnership emphasis and postwar questions, including what diplomacy could look like after major leadership losses.
Special operations inside Iran are unspecified in the public official record reviewed for this report. Detailed cyber and space activities are also largely unspecified, beyond general descriptions of disruption and defensive monitoring.
For ongoing developments, readers should monitor official updates from CENTCOM and the IDF, which are posting rolling statements and operational summaries.
