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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

CENTCOM Boss Provides Update on Operation Epic Fury (video)

2026-03-17

[YouTube] Video at the link. Transcript below:

A very useful summary.

Hi, I'm Admiral Brad Cooper, the Commander of U.S. Central Command, here to provide another update on Operation Epic Fury. First, I want to remember and honor our fallen warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice in the KC-135 refueling aircraft incident last week. We hold their memories and their families, their friends and their teammates in our prayers.

Their selfless service and dedication hardens our resolve. For 16 days, we've delivered overwhelming firepower deep into Iran. This past Friday, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Karg Island, destroying more than 90 Iranian military targets, including storage bunkers for naval mines and missiles and other military infrastructure.

To date, our Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aviators have collectively flown more than 6,000 combat flights, demonstrating the unmatched capability of America's joint force as we maintain air superiority over Iranian skies. We continue to remain centered on our military objectives. These are well-defined and include eliminating Iran's ballistic missiles, drones, and naval threats.

It's one thing to defend by striking launchers and intercepting missiles and drones, but it's another thing to eliminate the wider manufacturing apparatus behind them. And we are doing that today. We've talked about it in concept.

Here's what it looks like in reality. Let me show you, for the first time, a few examples of how we are dismantling Iran's defense industrial base, which will prevent threats to the region into the future. Here you see a photo from March 1st of a naval drone storage facility located near the Strait of Hormuz.

This is the same location, eight days later, completely destroyed. Next, here's a photo taken of an attack drone production factory in Tehran on March 5th. Here's that same factory six days later after a devastating barrage of U.S. airstrikes.

And finally, the Yazidi military depot, pictured here last month. These eight buildings are part of the IRGC's missile command infrastructure and are used to produce light and heavyweight.

Now, here's that same military depot just last week, or what's left of it. U.S. and partner strikes

…Israel…

are doing exactly what they are intended to do, deliver on very clear military objectives to eliminate Iran's ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors.

We're also zeroed in on dismantling Iran's decades-old threat to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz. Through a combination of air, land, and maritime capabilities, we have successfully destroyed over 100 Iranian naval vessels, and we aren't done.

We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Our progress remains steady, and we remain vigilant against the enemy. Now, a few thoughts about Iran. Over the last two weeks, they have launched attacks on Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain. In each of these countries, they are deliberately attacking innocent civilians. They have done this more than 300 times, which demonstrates their true nature as a global leader of terror.

In just the last few days, the Iranian regime launched a reckless attack against civilian neighborhoods in Tel Aviv with cluster bombs, an inherently indiscriminate type of munition.

We join countries across the region in condemning this aggression, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in bolstering our own defenses. In sum, I will reinforce what I said before. Iran's capabilities are declining as our capabilities and advantages continue to build. And finally, I'd like to talk about the extraordinary 50,000 Americans who are deployed across the region executing this vital mission.

It's long been my belief that every success we have begins and ends with our people. And today, I'd like to recognize our unsung heroes, the sustainers enabling America's
4:044 minutes, 4 seconds joint force to unleash this devastating firepower 24-7. To be clear, there's no other military on earth that does logistics like the U.S. military, and our team is at the top of their game today.

They're managing distribution networks that span thousands of miles to ensure that munitions, fuel, and supplies reach warfighters on the front line, on time, every time.

To all our sustainers and logisticians, thank you and keep up the great work. And to the entire Operation Epic Fury team, keep pushing, remain steady, fight to win. Thanks so much and Godspeed.

Posted by:Besoeker

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