The US Central Command confirmed on Sunday that three American service members have been killed during the operation and five more are “seriously wounded,” marking the first casualties for the US side in the ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The campaign continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raised the risk of regional instability.

Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and at US military installations around the Gulf, and also at the Saudi capital and the global business hub of Dubai.

US President Donald Trump said on social media that nine ships in the Iranian navy had been “destroyed” and sunk, “some of them relatively large and important.”

Trump said the rest of Iran’s fleet of military vessels “will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!"

In an interview with Fox News later in the day, Trump said 48 Iranian leaders were killed during the ongoing strikes on Iran conducted jointly with Israel.

“It’s moving along rapidly. Nobody can believe the success we’re having; 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly,” Trump said.

Air Domination
Meanwhile, an Israeli office said the Air Force is “flying almost freely” over Tehran in the ongoing strikes.

“We are flying almost freely over Tehran. Iran’s airspace is completely dominated by Israeli aircraft,” the Air Force official said as quoted by CNN.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday afternoon it had struck Iran’s ballistic missile launchers in its latest attacks, as well as air defense systems and command centers of the Iranian regime.

“In recent hours, Israeli Air Force aircraft have been operating with air superiority in the skies over Tehran, striking and eliminating numerous targets,” the IDF said in a statement.

The military added in its statement that it had intercepted more than 50 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fired from Iran toward Israel since the beginning of the military operation.

Ballistic Missile Facilities Targeted by B2 Bombers
The US deployed B-2 bombers to strike Iranian ballistic missile facilities on Saturday night, US Central Command said on X on Sunday.

“Last night, US B-2 stealth bombers, armed with 2,000 lb. bombs, struck Iran’s hardened ballistic missile facilities. No nation should ever doubt America’s resolve,” they wrote alongside a video of the bombers.

Ballistic missiles have been one of the concerns President Trump has raised in the lead-up to the attacks on Iran. Trump has claimed that Iran has been building ballistic missiles that could reach the US homeland.

Iran hasn’t acknowledged it is building or seeking to build intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The US Defense Intelligence Agency said in an unclassified report last year that Iran could develop a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035 “should Tehran decide to pursue the capability.”

Iran’s Military Remains in Place — Foreign Minister
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that despite the attacks on his country, “nothing has changed in our … military capability.”

He tells ABC’s “This Week” that in only a few hours after Iran was struck, Tehran retaliated against Israeli targets and American bases “and we have continued to do so. So, our military is in place. They are capable enough to defend our country.”

Asked whether a diplomatic deal with the Trump administration was still possible, he said, “We negotiated with the United States twice in the past 12 months. And in both cases, they attacked us in the middle of negotiation. And that has become a very bitter experience for us.”

He said, “A deal was at our reach, and we left Geneva happily with the understanding that we can reach a deal next time we meet.”

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