What is Operation Epic Fury?
How the campaign unfolded and what it targeted
Operation Epic Fury is the name used by U.S. officials to describe the coordinated U.S. and Israeli military operation that struck multiple targets in Iran in a pre-dawn campaign. Officials described the opening phase as a large, sustained set of strikes aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities and hitting sites linked to the country’s leadership.
Key elements of the operation
- Targets: Military installations, missile and uranium enrichment facilities, and sites identified with Iran’s senior leadership including residences and offices.
- Munitions and platforms: Reports say the United States employed Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles and new "one‑way" attack drones; Israeli forces also struck deep inside Iran. U.S. accounts say Iranian air defenses were effectively suppressed during the opening salvo.
- Scale and immediate results: U.S. Central Command described the strikes as part of a major regional concentration of American firepower; CENTCOM and other U.S. statements reported zero U.S. casualties from the initial phase.
Immediate regional consequences
- Iranian retaliation: Iranian forces launched missiles and drones at U.S. bases and regional partners in the hours and days after the strikes, escalating the conflict across multiple countries.
- Economic and maritime effects: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, a move that threatens global energy routes.
- Global diplomatic response: Allies and rivals reacted quickly—some governments backed the operation, others called for restraint, and the U.N. Security Council convened emergency meetings.
The campaign’s significance lies not just in the targets destroyed but in how it reshapes regional deterrence, the balance between kinetic action and diplomacy, and the risk of a wider conflagration. Much about follow‑on objectives and longer‑term strategy remains unsettled publicly.