As the US-Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day, the top American commander overseeing operations in the Middle East said that American and Israeli forces were moving faster than expected, pressing a sweeping air-and-sea campaign across Iranian territory.
Brad Cooper, the head of United States Central Command (Centcom), said US forces were conducting continuous “24/7 strikes into Iran from the seabed to space and cyberspace,” deploying 50,000 troops, more than 200 aircraft and two aircraft carriers, with additional assets en route.
“My overall operational assessment is that we are ahead of our game plan. In simple terms, we’re focused on shooting things that can shoot us,” Cooper said in a video briefing released on Tuesday.
According to Cooper, US strikes have severely weakened Iran’s air-defence network, destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and launchers, and sunk 17 naval vessels, effectively neutralising Tehran’s operational presence along key waterways. He said more than 2,000 targets had been hit so far.
Iran, however, has continued retaliatory attacks, in response to the US-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28. Tehran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones toward Israel and US-linked positions across the Middle East.
In response, Cooper said American forces are now “hunting” Iran’s remaining mobile missile launchers to eliminate its residual launch capability.
In a notable development, Cooper revealed that the US has deployed large numbers of upgraded loitering munitions — originally based on Iranian-made suicide drones — that were modified and reintroduced onto the battlefield. “We brought them to America, made them better, and fired them back at Iran,” he said.
WHO IS BRAD COOPER?
Brad Cooper is a career US Navy Surface Warfare Officer and the son of an Army officer. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, he holds a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and has studied international relations at Harvard and Tufts.
He has commanded US Naval Forces Central Command and the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, led Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and overseen forces in Japan and South Korea. He has also served tours in Afghanistan and held senior roles at the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defence and US combatant commands.
ISRAEL WIDENS ITS IRAN OFFENSIVE
Meanwhile, the Israeli military widened its offensive, saying it launched a fresh wave of strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites, air-defence systems and command centres, including in eastern Tehran, where heavy explosions were reported. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s leadership was “an unequivocal target for elimination.”
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said an Israeli Air Force F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter downed an Iranian Air Force Yak-130 aircraft. The military said it was the first time in history that an F-35 “Adir” had shot down a manned fighter jet in combat.
Despite early US hopes for a rapid collapse of Tehran’s clerical leadership following the killing of Khamenei in the opening phase of the strikes, Iran has vowed to continue its resistance and also named Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as the new Supreme Leader – raising the prospect of a prolonged confrontation.
The Middle East conflict has also rippled across global travel networks, with more than 20,000 flights cancelled and governments racing to evacuate stranded citizens from the region. So far, 787 people have died in the fighting that entered the fifth day.
(with inputs from Reuters)
