Iran live updates: 7th killed service member is identified

Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was killed in Saudi Arabia.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, Leah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Bill Hutchinson ABCNews logo
Last updated: Monday, March 9, 2026 3:00PM GMT
ABC News Live

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

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Mar 02, 2026, 11:16 AM GMT

3 US jets shot down over Kuwait by 'friendly fire,' CENTCOM says

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a Monday statement that three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were "mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses" while defending against attacks by Iranian aircraft, missiles and drones.

"All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered and are in stable condition," the CENTCOM statement said. "Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation."

"The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available," CENTCOM added.

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Mar 02, 2026, 5:45 AM GMT

IDF says strikes against Lebanon will increase in intensity

In a statement on Monday, amid ongoing strikes against Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said, "The strikes continue - their intensity will increase."

Overnight, the IDF had launched a series of strikes in Beirut and Southern Lebanon. The IDF said senior Hezbollah members were targeted in the Beirut area among the strikes.

Earlier on Monday, Lebanon had launched projectiles toward northern Israel that were intercepted.

"Shortly after Hezbollah's rocket fire, in accordance with planning, we launched a first broad wave of strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon, targeting senior operatives, headquarters, and terrorist infrastructure. We are also acting to evacuate civilians in southern Lebanon ahead of further strikes," the IDF said.

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Mar 02, 2026, 5:20 AM GMT

'We will not negotiate with the United States,' Iranian official says

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Ali Larijani, released a statement on X on Monday, saying, "We will not negotiate with the United States."

Larijani's statement was in response to a report about a possible resumption of talks with the U.S. in the wake of the operation in Iran over the weekend.

In another post, Larijani mentioned the American casualties in the operation, which left three U.S. service members killed and five wounded.

"Trump plunged the region into chaos with his 'delusional fantasies' and now fears more American troop casualties," Larijani said.

"Today, the Iranian nation is defending itself. The armed forces of Iran did not initiate the aggression," he added.

ByLuke Barr ABCNews logo
Mar 02, 2026, 4:30 AM GMT

Department of Homeland Security warns of potential attacks amid Iran operation

The Department of Homeland Security has warned of potential lone-wolf and cyberattacks amid the ongoing strikes in Iran, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.

"Although a large-scale physical attack is unlikely, Iran and its proxies probably pose a persistent threat of targeted attacks in the Homeland, and will almost certainly escalate retaliatory actions-or calls to action-if reports of the Ayatollah's death are confirmed," according to the bulletin.

"In the short-term, we are most concerned that Iran-aligned hacktivists will conduct low-level cyber attacks against US networks, such as website defacements and distributed denial-of-service attacks," officials said in the bulletin.

The alert was issued on Saturday, a day before a gunman opened fire in Austin, Texas, and authorities are investigating whether or not the suspect was inspired by the situation overseas.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News the suspect was wearing a sweatshirt with "Property of Allah" on it and underneath, a shirt with "Iran" and the Iranian flag on it.