Iran shoots down 22 drones allegedly belonging to US-Israel
Iran’s military announced that it had shot down 10 advanced drones across the country on a single day. The total number of Hermes drones allegedly belonging to United States and Israeli forces reached 22.
According to Al Jazeera, on Monday (2 March 2026), Iranian authorities affirmed that this represents a moment of full-scale resistance. They intend to retaliate with maximum force.
Iran revealed that they have not yet deployed their strongest military capabilities, including several advanced missile systems. Iran warned that the US and Israel would pay dearly in the coming days for the attacks they had conducted.
Iranian leaders also characterised this conflict as different from previous confrontations. They described it as an existential war in which, they stated, there would be no retreat, no compromise, and no surrender until Iran demonstrated its capability to defend itself and maintain what it called its dignity and independence.
Iran strikes US carrier Abraham Lincoln
Previously, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stated that they had attacked the United States carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. They struck the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf with four ballistic missiles following the death of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the aftermath of attacks by the US and Israel.
“The US carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles,” said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in a statement carried by local media, according to Al Jazeera, on Sunday (1 March 2026).
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also warned that land and sea regions would become the graves of their enemies.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in the Arabian Sea since late January. There has been no direct confirmation from the US military regarding damage or casualties from the attack.
As is known, the US and Israel launched an attack named “Epic Fury” on Iran on Saturday (28 February). The attack killed several Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as hundreds of other Iranian citizens.
Iran subsequently launched retaliatory attacks on Saturday (28 February) and Sunday (1 March). On Saturday (28 February), Iran also launched attacks on Riyadh and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.