U.S.-Israeli Strikes Kill Iran's Khamenei, Escalate Conflict

In a dramatic escalation of long-simmering tensions, U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran early Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top regime officials in their fortified compound in Tehran. The operation, dubbed Epic Fury by U.S. Central Command, also sank an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette at a pier in the port of Chabahar, marking the first confirmed combat losses for American troops in the intensifying conflict.

CENTCOM reported three U.S. service members killed in action and five others seriously wounded during the initial phases of the assault, with additional personnel suffering minor shrapnel injuries and concussions. Identities of the fallen were being withheld pending family notifications. The strikes targeted Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure, as well as high-value leadership, in response to what U.S. officials described as persistent threats from the Iranian regime. President Donald Trump authorized the bold action, issuing a direct ultimatum to Iran's armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and police to lay down their weapons.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier...