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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BySteve Beynon ABCNews logo
Mar 03, 2026, 10:50 PM GMT

6 US troops were killed in drone strike at Kuwait command center: Defense officials

All six American service members were killed in the opening hours of the war against Iran by an Iranian drone at Shuaiba port in Kuwait, according to two defense officials.

The troops in Kuwait were killed in a command and control center, a building which is effectively a large trailer, according to the officials.

The center was encircled by 6-foot-tall concrete walls -- a staple in defending against rockets and mortars from the Iraq and Afghanistan war-era, but they do not protect against aerial attacks, according to the officials.

These centers are often ad hoc or semi-permanent locations for units to coordinate logistics and their forces.

ABCNews logo
Mar 03, 2026, 10:18 PM GMT

10 dead, nearly 360 injured in Israel

Ten people have been killed and nearly 360 injured in Israel amid Iran's retaliatory strikes, according to Israeli officials.

Emergency responders were dispatched Tuesday to "dozens of scenes throughout Israel following various missile impact incidents," according to Magen David Adom, Israel's rescue services.

ByChris Boccia ABCNews logo
Mar 03, 2026, 9:57 PM GMT

US embassies 'under direct attack,' Rubio says

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that a drone struck the parking lot near the U.S. Consulate in Dubai.

"All personnel are accounted for," he said.

While noting the U.S. drawdown of diplomatic staff has kept its personnel safe so far, Rubio called the threat "direct."

"Our embassies and our diplomatic facilities are under direct attack from a terroristic regime," he said.=

ByChris Boccia ABCNews logo
Mar 03, 2026, 9:56 PM GMT

Rubio says 1,500 Americans seeking help to leave Middle East

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said 1,500 Americans have requested State Department assistance to leave the Middle East.

Rubio said the State Department is trying to help through charter flights, military flights and commercial options. However, he said, "the impediment we're facing now, in many cases, we've had a couple instances in which we have planes in the air and on the way, and unfortunately, the airspace gets closed and they have to turn back around."

He said Americans should get in touch with the State Department through these phone numbers: +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad) and +1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. and Canada).