President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with daytime strikes in the joint U.S.-Israel attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
On Sunday, Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday.
Iran is responding to the U.S.-Israeli operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations. American diplomatic facilities have also been attacked.
In Lebanon, Israel is intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia.
Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Israel Defense Forces said it’s striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. A large explosion was heard in Beirut around 9 a.m. ET.
In a statement on X, the U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs urged Americans not to travel to Lebanon.
“If you are in the country, depart Lebanon NOW while commercial flight options remain available,” the statement said. “The security situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable.”
Passengers whose flights were cancelled wait at the departure terminal of Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 28, 2026, as many airlines canceled flights due to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Hassan Ammar/AP
Mar 02, 2026, 8:42 AM EST
More losses expected, 'not a single overnight operation,' Caine says
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not specify a timeline, but said, "This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives … will take some time to achieve.”
Four U.S. service members have died. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that occurred when Iran hit a tactical operations center that had been fortified. Sources told ABC News that President Donald Trump had been warned ahead of the operation that U.S. casualties were very possible in an operation of this scale.
“We expect to take additional losses,” Caine warned, “and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses. But as the secretary said, this is major combat operations.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speak during a press conference on US military action in Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, March 2, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Hegseth also noted that “an effort of this scope will include casualties.”
“War is hell and always will be. A grateful nation honors the four Americans we have lost thus far and those injured,” he said.
Hegseth did not rule out troops on the ground.
Caine said that additional American forces, specifically tactical aviation, are headed into the region.
Mar 02, 2026, 8:36 AM EST
Iran says it is prepared for a long war
The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said that Iran is prepared for a long war.
"Iran, unlike the United States, has prepared itself for a long war," Larijani wrote in a post on X on Monday. He added that Iranian armed forces "have not engaged in any attacks except in defense."
Earlier on Monday, Larijani said the Islamic Republic will not negotiate with the U.S.
Mar 02, 2026, 8:31 AM EST
'Clear, devastating, decisive mission'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “the mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused: destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their Navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference on US military action in Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, March 2, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there were more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours.
“With every passing day, our capabilities get stronger and Iran’s get weaker,” Hegseth said. “We set the terms of this war from start to finish. Our ambitions are not utopian -- they are realistic, scoped to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies.”
"This is not Iraq, this is not endless," Hegseth said. "... [Trump] called the last 20 years of nation-building wars dumb, and he's right. This is the opposite. This operation is a clear, devastating, decisive mission: destroy the missile threat, destroy the Navy, no nukes."