Washington DC [US], March 4 (ANI): The Pentagon has identified four of the six US soldiers who were killed in an Iranian drone strike on Sunday. The US Army Reserve in post on X said, 'It is with heavy hearts that we announce the deaths of four U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers supporting Operation Epic Fury on March 1st.'

https://x.com/USArmyReserve/status/2029010189928603974

According to CNN, the identified soldiers were Capt. Cody Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20. All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve sustainment unit out of Iowa.

According to the US Army Reserve X post, Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, Chief of Army Reserve said, 'We honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation.'

The US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll confirmed casualties linked to recent Iranian attacks on American forces in West Asia on Wednesday and mourned the death of soldiers in the ongoing conflict.

In a post on X, he said, 'I'm deeply saddened by the loss and injury of our Soldiers from the recent Iranian attacks on U.S. Army forces in the Middle East. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to all those impacted by these recent attacks.'

https://x.com/SecArmy/status/2028979631496302846

'These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,' he added.

Meanwhile, nine drones were intercepted after entering Saudi airspace, according to the Saudi Defence Ministry. The update was reported by Saudi Gazette on X, citing the ministry's spokesperson, 'Nine drones were intercepted and destroyed immediately after entering Saudi airspace.'

Earlier, the United States' Operation Epic Fury continued on day four with the intensity of strikes increasing even as Iran retaliated with counter offensive targeting US assets in the Gulf.

On Tuesday (local time), Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of United States Central Command, in a briefing said that the US will not stop and that Iran's ability to hit back was declining rapidly.

'Now, we're less than 100 hours into this operation, and we've already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defences and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones. In simple terms, we're focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us. Our B-2 bombers and B-1 bombers have executed uncontested surgical strikes against multiple missile facilities deep inside Iran. And then just last night, a B-52 bomber force struck ballistic missile and command and control posts,' he said.

Despite this assurance, Iran's counter continues. Fox News, citing a source, has reported that a CIA station inside the US Embassy compound in Riyadh was hit in a drone attack. Two drones caused structural damage and smoke inside the compound, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries, said the news report.

Earlier, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following military strikes on Iran, a fire that broke out near the premises of the US Consulate General in Dubai late Tuesday night, following a suspected drone strike, has been fully extinguished, with authorities confirming that no injuries were reported.

Dubai authorities have confirmed that a fire resulting from a drone-related incident near the US Consulate has been successfully contained. Emergency teams responded immediately. No injuries have been reported.

The conflict in the Middle East has entered its fourth day following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, along with other key figures in the Persian Gulf country. In retaliation, Tehran has responded with counter-strikes targeting American military bases and other Israeli assets across the region. (ANI)