IRGC Announces Third and Fourth Waves of Operation True Promise IV Amid Escalation After U.S.–Israeli Strikes

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the third and fourth waves of missile and drone attacks were underway as part of Operation True Promise IV, a military campaign launched in response to a large-scale joint United States–Israel air operation known as Operation Epic Fury. The escalation came one day after coordinated airstrikes on Iranian targets reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials in Tehran. The U.S.–Israeli operation began on 28/02/2026 with strikes targeting Iranian leadership compounds and strategic facilities in and around Tehran. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on 01/03/2026 following the attack on his compound, which was hit during a series of daylight airstrikes. Reports indicated that multiple high-ranking Iranian officials were also killed in the operation, including military and intelligence figures associated with Iran’s national command structure. Within hours of the initial strikes, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks under the name Operation True Promise IV. According to statements attributed to the IRGC, the campaign targeted U.S. military installations and Israeli locations across the Middle East. The operation was described as a multi-wave response, involving ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles directed at American bases in Gulf countries and Israeli cities. By early March 2026, Iranian officials reported multiple waves of attacks as the retaliation continued. The IRGC stated that additional phases of the campaign would proceed in stages, with successive missile and drone launches. Analysts and regional observers reported that the exchange of strikes marked a rapid escalation of hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States, expanding the conflict beyond isolated strikes into a broader regional confrontation involving military targets across several countries in the Middle East.