Iran missile and drone attacks down sharply as campaign intensifies, top US general says

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the United States is “winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy” in the military campaign against Iran, four days after the launch of Operation Epic Fury.

Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump early Saturday and that additional US forces were still arriving.

US and Israel to control Iranian skies within a week

Hegseth said the US and Israeli air forces were moving to gain “complete control of Iranian skies” within days.

“In under a week, the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies, uncontested airspace,” he said.

He said that would allow US and Israeli forces to fly “all day, all night” over Iran to strike missile infrastructure, military industry and leadership targets.

US aircraft including B-2, B-52 and B-1 bombers, drones and fighter jets were involved in the campaign, he said.

US to intensify strikes with precision bombs

Hegseth said that with airspace dominance, US forces would increasingly use GPS- and laser-guided bombs.

“We will be using 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound precision gravity bombs, of which we have a nearly unlimited stockpile,” he said.

He added that US rules of engagement were designed to “unleash American power.”

Iran’s military capabilities 'evaporating'

Hegseth said Iranian forces had been severely degraded.

“The Iranian air force is no more,” he said, adding that the Iranian navy had been destroyed and that Iran’s ability to fire missiles had sharply declined.

“Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour,” he said.

US submarine sinks Iranian warship

Hegseth also said an American submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.

“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” he said, adding the ship was destroyed by torpedo.

Iran leadership 'dead or in hiding'

The defense secretary said many senior Iranian leaders had been killed or forced into hiding.

“Iran’s senior leaders are dead… missing or cowering in bunkers, too terrified to even occupy the same room,” he said.

US says campaign will continue

Hegseth said the US objective was to destroy Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, dismantle its military infrastructure and ensure Tehran never obtains nuclear weapons.

“Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb — not on our watch,” he said.

He added that the campaign was only beginning.

“Four days in, we have only just begun to fight.”

Israel’s economy could suffer losses of more than 9 billion shekels ($2.93 billion) a week from the ongoing war with Iran, the country’s Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry estimated that under the Home Front Command’s current “red” restrictions, weekly economic damage could reach 9.4 billion shekels ($3.06 billion).

The measures include limits on travel to workplaces, school closures and the mobilization of military reservists, disrupting activity across the country.

Iran’s internet blackout has passed 100 hours, with national connectivity flatlining at about 1% of ordinary levels, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Wednesday.

“The regime-imposed blackout is the second this year and follows the shutdown in January when thousands were killed,” NetBlocks said.

Israel’s military spokesperson said on Wednesday that Israel’s strikes on Iran are directed at the country’s authorities rather than its people, urging civilians to stay away from military facilities.

In a video message addressed to Iranians, the spokesperson said Israel respected Iran’s long history and that recent tensions were tied to the policies of the Islamic Republic. “You cannot erase 2,500 years of magnificent history with 47 years of darkness,” he said.

He added that Israel was determined to continue its attacks until what he described as the threat posed by Iran’s authorities is removed.

The spokesperson also called on Iranian citizens to distance themselves from military installations for their safety as strikes continue.

A ballistic missile fired from Iran and passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace was intercepted by NATO air and missile defense units deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.

The missile, which was heading toward Turkish airspace, was rendered ineffective before it could cause any damage. A piece of the missile fell in the Dörtyol district of Hatay, and it was determined to belong to the intercepted missile. No casualties or injuries were reported.

The ministry reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to ensuring national security and its right to respond decisively to any threats, warning all parties against actions that could escalate the conflict in the region.