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- Three American service members have been killed as part of combat operations against Iran.
- Five more were seriously wounded, the military said on Sunday.
- It marks the first confirmed US losses since strikes began alongside Israel on Saturday.
Three American service members have been killed and five seriously wounded as part of combat operations against Iran, the US military said on Sunday.
It is the military's first acknowledgement of any US losses since American forces began striking Iran alongside Israel on Saturday.
"Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty," said US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations.
CENTCOM did not specify how or where the service members were killed and wounded or whether the losses were sustained during offensive or defensive operations. It declined to offer additional information.
"The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified," CENTCOM said in a statement, adding that combat operations will continue.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US could suffer losses as a result of the conflict with Iran.
"The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war," Trump said in a video address to the nation. "But we're doing this — not for now — we're doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission."
Dozens of people have been killed and wounded by Iranian strikes in Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and hundreds of people in Iran have been killed and wounded by US and Israeli strikes, according to local authorities.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it has killed 40 senior Iranian commanders, as well as the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A wide range of American forces — on land, in the air, and at sea — have participated in the airstrikes against Iran, targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) command and control facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
US forces have also been involved in air defense operations to shield American assets and allies across the Middle East from hundreds of Iran's retaliatory missile and drone attacks.
Iran has fired missiles at US forces based in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE and has also targeted other Middle East countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iraq.
