Iran live updates: 7th killed service member is identified

Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was killed in Saudi Arabia.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, Leah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Bill Hutchinson ABCNews logo
Last updated: Monday, March 9, 2026 3:00PM GMT
ABC News Live

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

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Mar 04, 2026, 11:30 AM GMT

Iranian civilian death toll rises to 912, human rights group says

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a U.S.-based group that relies on a network of activists in Iran for its reporting, said in a statement Tuesday night that it has so far documented the deaths of 912 civilians and the injuries of 211 civilians in Iran, as a result of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military operation.

Among those killed are at least 181 children under the age of 10, according to HRANA.

HRANA said it is reviewing 880 reports of other deaths.

"These figures reflect a devastating and escalating human toll and represent absolute minimums," the group said in the statement. "The protection of civilians is not optional. It is a binding legal obligation."

HRANA said it has also "verified credible reports of attacks on at least seven medical centers and emergency health facilities" in Iran.

ABC News cannot independently verify these numbers or information, but HRANA has been accurate in its reporting during previous periods of unrest and conflict in Iran.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Morgan Winsor

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Mar 04, 2026, 11:28 AM GMT

Any new Iranian leader is 'an unequivocal target,' Katz says

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that any new leader appointed by the Iranian regime "will be an unequivocal target for elimination."

A successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- who was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday -- is yet to be publicly announced.

-ABC News' Dana Savir and Morgan Winsor

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Mar 04, 2026, 6:06 AM GMT

Death toll in Lebanon rises to at least 50 killed, over 300 injured: Health officials

The Lebanese Health Ministry announced that 50 people have been killed and over 300 have been injured in Israeli strikes since Monday.

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Mar 04, 2026, 6:06 AM GMT

US embassy in Jordan issues shelter-in-place order

The U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan, announced it is canceling appointments until further notice and has instructed personnel to shelter-in-place.

"The embassy has instructed all Mission personnel to shelter-in-place. We recommend all Americans do the same," the alert on Wednesday said.