Attack on Iran: US deploys 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the body overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said more than 50,000 troops have been deployed in the joint U.S.-Israel strike against Iran since Saturday, 28 February. CENTCOM Commander General Brad Cooper, in a video message reported by the Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, said that not only tens of thousands of troops but 200 fighter jets and two U.S. aircraft carriers have been deployed in the military operation named ‘Operation Epic Fury’. He said the operation against Iran represents the largest American military deployment in the Middle East in a generation. He added that U.S.-Israel forces have attacked nearly 2,000 targets across Iran, using more than 2,000 munitions since the operation began over the weekend.
Cooper said Iran had responded with a large-scale counter-strike, launching more than 500 ballistic missiles and deploying more than 2,000 drones. However, he added that the U.S. forces had destroyed a dozen Iranian warships. ‘We have also sunk the Iranian Navy, the entire navy. So far, we have destroyed 17 Iranian ships,’ he said. Despite the retaliation, Cooper said Iran’s ability to strike U.S. and allied forces had diminished as the operation continued.
Tensions have risen since the United States and Israel launched the large-scale strikes against Iran since Saturday, 28 February. In the following days, the two countries attacked targets across Iran, including missiles, naval assets, and locations of military command and control.
The series of U.S.-Israel strikes has killed several key figures and senior Tehran officials, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The latest Red Crescent report from Iran says at least 787 people have died so far in the wave of U.S.-Israel strikes.
Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on U.S. bases in Gulf states. Tehran claims that at least 560 U.S. soldiers have died or been wounded as a result of its retaliatory strikes. However, the United States has confirmed at least six of its service members killed and several others wounded.