U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have entered their second week, and the operation the Pentagon calls “Epic Fury” has so far targeted more than 3,000 sites across Iranian territory, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with CBS News.
According to him, more than 50,000 U.S. troops are involved in the operation, and the campaign is unfolding according to plan.
“We are very much on track. I was at Central Command yesterday. The operation is proceeding as planned,” Hegseth said.
He stressed that the conflict is not an equal fight and that U.S. and Israeli forces have a significant military advantage.
“Our capabilities are far stronger than Iran’s. When you combine our air power with Israel’s, you are talking about two of the most powerful air forces in the world,” the U.S. defense secretary said.
Hegseth added that part of the campaign using conventional weapons, including heavy bombs weighing 200, 500, and 1,000 kilograms, has yet to begin.
According to him, the goal of the operation is to completely neutralize Iran’s military capabilities.
“We are fighting for victory. We are setting the conditions. We will know the objective has been achieved when the enemy is no longer capable of fighting,” Hegseth said.
In the interview, he confirmed that there are currently no U.S. ground forces in Iran but did not rule out that possibility.
“It would be unwise not to keep that option on the table. We are keeping all options available,” the secretary said.
According to American sources, Russia is allegedly providing intelligence to Iran about U.S. positions and movements, but Hegseth said the U.S. military is fully aware of those activities.
Meanwhile, the conflict has already resulted in casualties on both sides. Six U.S. reservists were killed in an Iranian drone attack on a base in Kuwait, while, according to human rights activists, more than 1,600 people have died in Iran so far.
Hegseth also said U.S. authorities are investigating an attack in which a school in southern Iran was hit, but emphasized that the U.S. military “never targets civilians.”
