Overview
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. and Israeli forces expect complete control of Iran’s airspace within days and signaled larger attack waves, while the Pentagon reviews reports of a deadly strike on a girls’ school in Minab.
- Sri Lankan authorities reported the Iranian destroyer Dena sank in the Indian Ocean and recovered dozens of bodies after a submarine attack, and the Pentagon confirmed a U.S. sub torpedoed an Iranian warship.
- Through the fifth day of fighting, reporting indicates roughly a thousand people have been killed across Iran and the region, as Iran fires missiles and drones in retaliation and a ballistic missile headed toward Turkish airspace was intercepted by NATO-aligned defenses.
- The White House listed four objectives for the operation—neutralizing Iran’s missiles, degrading its navy, curbing proxy attacks, and preventing a nuclear weapon—prompting debate in Washington as some Democrats question strategy and authorization and many Republicans voice support.
- European responses diverged, with NATO chief Mark Rutte praising the strikes’ impact on Iran’s capabilities and Emmanuel Macron calling the U.S.–Israeli attacks outside international law, while several European states bolstered air defenses around Cyprus after Iranian-linked drone activity.