4 U.S. service members killed in Iranian strike in Kuwait, Pentagon says

Four American service members have been killed and four others have been seriously wounded during Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, U.S. Central Command said Monday.

CENTCOM had said Sunday that three service members were killed but announced Monday that another has died.

"The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran's initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries," CENTCOM said in a post on social media.  

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that it happened when an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait.

The military said the identities of the fallen would be withheld for 24 hours so next of kin can be notified. 

President Trump told NBC News on Sunday that "we expect casualties with something like this," adding that "but in the end it's going to be a great deal for the world."

"They're great people," Mr. Trump told The Daily Mail Sunday of the American service members. "And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous — it could happen again." The president also said they had "outstanding records."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee offered his condolences to the service members killed and the others injured, saying on X: "May their memory be a blessing."

CBS News has reached out to the White House for additional comments.

The U.S. and Israel launched a massive military operation early Saturday in Iran, including striking Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound in Tehran and killing him. The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that other Iranian officials and commanders were also killed, including an adviser to Khamenei.

The Free Press: Our 50-Year War With Iran

Iran's military launched retaliatory strikes on Israel as well as other U.S.-allied nations in the Middle East. Earlier Sunday, Israeli medics said at least eight people were killed in a missile strike in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem.

In a video posted to social media on Saturday, Mr. Trump said his administration had taken "every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel."

"The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties, that often happens in war," Mr. Trump said. "We're doing this, not for now, we're doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission."