Operation Epic Fury was launched by the US and Iran on Saturday, and has resulted in the death of several Iranian leader including Ali Khamenei.

11:54, Tue, Mar 3, 2026 Updated: 12:23, Tue, Mar 3, 2026

Iran after a strike

Operation Epic Fury was launched on Saturday (Image: Getty)

Iran issued a chilling warning to the US and Israel, three days into Operation Epic Fury. A spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards lashed out at Washington and Jerusalem as strikes continue to target the regime.

Ali Mohammad Naini told state TV: "The enemy must await continuous punitive attacks; the gates of hell will open more and more, moment by moment, upon the United States and Israel." Iran has been under attack since Saturday, whe the US and Israel launched attacks on Tehran to "obliterate" the Iranian navy and "annihilate" its missile capabilities to guarantee the regime never obtains a nuclear weapon.

In response, Iran retaliated by using drones and missiles targeting Israel as well as numerous Middle Eastern military bases housing American troops.

Explosions heard in Tehran as new Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian capital

Explosions heard in Tehran as new Israeli airstrike hit the city. (Image: Getty)

The war then spread to Lebanon, which was targeted and hit by Israeli forces who today also launched a ground invasion in the country. Israel today said they "have authorised the IDF to advance and seize additional strategic areas in Lebanon in order to prevent fire on Israeli border communities".

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon, has since claimed responsibility for several overnight drone attacks on Israel, Sky News reported. A UK RAF base in Cyprus was also hit by a drone reportedly launched by Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

This prompted a reaction from Greece, which sent four of its F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus on Monday, Cyprus Mail reported. This was followed by the landing of an A C-130 transport aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force in Paphos later that day.

Anti-missile and anti-drone systems, as well as a frigate, will also be sent to Cyprus by France to bolster the Republic’s defence capabilities, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reported on Tuesday. According to the same agency, France will also "soon deploy a second frigate to Cyprus".

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Russia hit out at the US on Tuesday, three days after Washington launched Operation Epic Fury with Israel. Russian Foreign Secretaray Sergey Lavrov criticised the strikes on Iran, one of the closest allies of his country, and claimed Tehran has an "inalienable" right to enrich uranium.

It is believed that so far 787 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel launched their strikes on the country, Iran's Red Crescent Society says. US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) said that 742 civilians have died, including 176 children. US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran could last "weeks".