Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said he’s given instructions for the continuation of the campaign against Iran during a meeting with his defence minister, chief of staff, and the head of the Mossad security service.
Speaking from the roof of the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said: “Our forces are now striking the heart of Tehran with increasing strength, and this will only increase even more in the coming days.
“However, these are painful days. Yesterday here, in Tel Aviv, and now in Beit Shemesh, we lost dear people. My heart goes out to the families, and on behalf of all of you, the citizens of Israel, I send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded.”
He said Israel is bringing the entire strength of the IDF in a campaign to ensure our existence and our future.
Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince and son of the last Shah of Iran, who was ousted by the Islamic Republic in 1979, on X (formerly Twitter) said that the death of Iran’s supreme leader is not the end while calling on Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic.
He said the people must prepare for widespread and decisive presence in the streets and asks them to chant from their houses at night.
Pahlavi previously called on Iranian officials to surrender and on military and law enforcement bodies to use their weapons to defend the great nation of Iran and not the republic of crime to end the nightmare more quickly.
During the recent anti-government protests in Iran, Pahlavi emerged as a prominent opposition figure, with demonstrators in some locations chanting his name.
Meanwhile, three U.S. service members have been killed in action, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said.
They are the first known American fatalities since the U.S. began striking Iran.
Five others have been seriously wounded, the U.S.military said.
The names of the three fallen service members will not be released until 24 hours after their families have been notified, Centcom added.
In announcing the U.S. operation against Iran, President Trump warned that “the lives of American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.”
In his speech announcing the start of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, Trump clearly laid out the prospect that U.S. service members may fall in the days and weeks ahead.
“That often happens in war,” he added.
As far as wars go, these casualties are still light. Military experts I’ve spoken to said they believe that combat casualties were to be expected, alongside non-combat deaths from the inherent risks of moving massive amounts of personnel and materiel across the world.
But for Trump, each American casualty raises the stakes domestically – where he is keen to juxtapose quick, successful and relatively clean military actions with the drawn-out conflicts of the Global War on Terror, which saw a steady trickle of U.S. casualties in the headlines.
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