Breaking: CENTCOM Confirms 3 U.S. Deaths in Operation Epic Fury as

[00:00] Announcer: This is Neural Newscast for Sunday, March 1, 2026, delivering the day's most essential stories with precision. [00:10] Cole Mercer: The headlines that matter this morning, starting with a significant escalation in the Persian Gulf. [00:17] Announcer: U.S. Central Command has confirmed that three American service members were killed in action this morning during Operation Epic Fury. [00:26] Announcer: The update, released at 9.30 a.m. Eastern Time, also lists five personnel as seriously wounded. [00:35] Announcer: These losses occur during a high-intensity engagement in a contested southern corridor. [00:41] Announcer: The Department of Defense is currently withholding the names of the deceased for 24 hours pending the notification of next-of-kin. [00:50] Announcer: This incident marks the single largest loss of life for U.S. forces in the region since the operation began earlier this year. [00:59] Cole Mercer: Several other service members sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions during the same contact, though they have reportedly been returned to duty. [01:09] Cole Mercer: Kohl, the report from Sentcom follows a catastrophic strike in southern Iran. [01:14] Cole Mercer: State media in Tehran reports that a missile hit a girls' elementary school in the city of Minab on Saturday morning. [01:22] Cole Mercer: The city, which serves as a major logistics hub in the Hormozgan province, [01:27] Cole Mercer: was active with weekend students when the impact occurred. [01:31] Cole Mercer: Initial reports suggest the building suffered a direct hit, leading to a near-total collapse of the structure. [01:37] Announcer: The Mizan News Agency, which is linked to the Iranian judiciary, reports that the death toll in Minab has reached 148 people, with 95 others injured. [01:51] Announcer: Verified footage from the site shows civilians and local emergency crews searching through heavy concrete rubble for survivors. [01:59] Announcer: The school sits directly adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps barracks. [02:05] Announcer: International analysts have noted that this specific IRGC facility is a known node for regional drone and missile logistics, [02:15] Announcer: leading to speculation that it may have been the intended target of the strike. [02:20] Announcer: Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for Central Command, says the U.S. is aware of these reports and is actively looking into all claims of civilian harm. [02:31] Announcer: This event has already prompted a sharp response from Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, [02:37] Announcer: who called for justice and the absolute protection of schools under international law. [02:43] Announcer: In New York, the United Nations Security Council is expected to convene an emergency session [02:50] Announcer: later this afternoon to address the humanitarian impact and the potential for a broader regional [02:56] Announcer: escalation in the wake of this strike. [02:59] Announcer: We will continue to track these developments throughout the day. [03:02] Announcer: From Neural Newscast, I'm Cole Mercer. [03:05] Cole Mercer: And I'm Daniel Brooks. Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:11] Cole Mercer: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com. [03:15] Cole Mercer: Thank you for listening. [03:16] Daniel Brooks: Neural Newscast uses artificial intelligence in content creation [03:20] Daniel Brooks: with human editorial review prior to publication. [03:23] Daniel Brooks: While we strive for factual, unbiased reporting, AI-assisted content may occasionally contain [03:29] Daniel Brooks: errors. Verify critical information with trusted sources. Learn more at neuralnewscast.com.