Speaking in a video message, Donald Trump said the U.S. would “avenge” the deaths of the service members and that “there will likely be more” killed before the conflict ends.

Three U.S. service members have ​been killed and another five have been seriously wounded, in ‌the first casualties of the unfolding U.S. operations against ​Iran, the U.S. military said on ⁠Sunday (March 1, 2026).

The President made the comments in a roughly six-minute video he posted on social media on Sunday (March 1, 2026) afternoon. He called the three service members “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.” He added: “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”

The U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on Sunday (March 1, 2026), dropping massive bombs on the country’s ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Blasts rattled windows across the country and sent plumes of smoke high into the sky above the capital city of Tehran. More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes that killed Khamenei and other senior leaders, Iranian leaders have said.

Iran vowed revenge, firing missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states in a counteroffensive that the U.S. military said resulted in the deaths of three service members — the first known American casualties from the conflict. Israel’s rescue services said nine people were killed and 28 wounded in a strike that hit a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 11. Eleven people were still missing after the strike, police said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Israeli Defence Ministry and military bases among other targets with a fresh wave of strikes late on Saturday (February 28, 2026).

“The Israeli army naval base in Haifa Port, the regime’s warship dock in Haifa, the Ramat David air base, the regime’s Ministry of War in the Hakeryat area, the Beit Shams military-industrial complex and the Ishtod military industrial complex are among the targets during the third and fourth waves,” the Guards said in a statement on Telegram.

21 injured by Iranian missile salvo in Tel Aviv area

 Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom reported on Saturday (February 28, 2026) that an Iranian missile strike injured 21 people in the area of Tel Aviv, including one person in critical condition.

MDA said in a statement it evacuated 20 casualties to the hospital including one man in serious condition and gave treatment on site to “a woman in her 40s who is unconscious and in critical condition with serious injuries”.

AFP journalists and Israeli television channels reported first responders and firemen deployed in several parts of Tel Aviv, and physical damage to the city.