Central Command Claims Strikes on 5,000 Targets in Operation Epic Fury

March 12, 2026

The U.S. Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), pictured here, is being deployed during Operation Epic Fury in Iran. (Image: U.S. Central Command)

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) claims to have struck more than 5,000 targets during the first 10 days of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing war between the U.S., Israel and Iran. Several top U.S. military officials also provided updates on Operation Epic Fury during a March 10 press conference.

Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, and involves the "largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation," according to CENTCOM. The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat.

"Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during the press briefing at the Pentagon. "The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes; intelligence more refined and better than ever. So, that's on one hand. On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they've been capable of firing yet."

A map detailing the first 10 days of Operation Epic Fury. (Image: U.S. Central Command)

The U.S. military has also had losses on its side during the ongoing conflict with Iran. CENTCOM's latest reported casualty was the death of a U.S. National Guard soldier who died from a health-related incident in Kuwait on March 6. That was the eighth U.S. service member to die during the first 10 days of the conflict.

In a separate incident reported by CENTCOM on March 2, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident. During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses. All six of the aircrew onboard ejected safely and are in stable condition, according to CENTCOM.

Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared the latest tactical details of Operation Epic Fury.

An overview of the U.S. military assets that have been deployed during Operation Epic Fury. (Image: U.S. Central Command)

"To date, [U.S. Central Command has] struck more than 5,000 targets," Caine said. "[U.S.] Strategic Command bombers recently dropped dozens of 2,000-pound GPS penetrating weapons on deeply buried missile launchers across the southern flank."

Also, Caine said, the U.S. struck several factories the Iranians use to make one-way attack drones.

"Alongside our regional partners along the southern flank, [we] continue to execute intercepts against one-way attack drones, using fighters and attack helicopters," he said. "Our strikes mean we've made significant progress in reducing the number of missile and drone attacks out of Iran. Ballistic missile attacks continue to trend downward, 90 percent from where they started. And one-way attack drone [attacks] have decreased 83 percent since the beginning of the operation — a testament to our air defenders and our air defense systems."

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