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An Iranian naval vessel was sunk by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday, describing the strike as the first time since World War II that the United States has destroyed an enemy ship with a torpedo.

The incident left significant casualties among the crew of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. According to officials in Sri Lanka’s navy and defense ministry speaking to Reuters, one sailor was confirmed dead, 78 were injured, and at least 101 others were initially reported missing after the ship went down.

The IRIS Dena was a heavily armed warship equipped with large-caliber guns, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes. The vessel also had the capability to carry a helicopter as part of its operations.

Reports indicated that the frigate, which had a crew of roughly 180 sailors, transmitted a distress signal early in the morning shortly before the sinking.

Speaking to reporters during a briefing, Hegseth confirmed the strike and described how the Iranian vessel was destroyed. “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth told reporters at a press briefing.

The defense secretary characterized the attack as swift and silent. He described it as a “quiet death.” He also emphasized the historic nature of the strike, explaining that it marked the first time since World War II that an American submarine had sunk an enemy ship with a torpedo, adding: “Like in that war, we are fighting to win.”

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. military said it had already destroyed 17 Iranian vessels as part of its broader campaign, stating that the objective is the destruction of “the entire navy.” The Israel Defense Forces also said that the American military had assumed full responsibility for operations targeting Iran’s naval activities.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said authorities in the island nation carried out a rescue effort and managed to save 32 sailors who were badly wounded aboard the IRIS Dena. The warship sank just outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.

Herath said two Sri Lankan naval ships and an aircraft were dispatched to conduct the rescue operation. He did not provide details about the cause of the warship’s sinking.

Sri Lanka’s defense ministry said search teams were looking for more than 100 additional crew members from the IRIS Dena. The vessel went down approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the island.

“We are keeping up a search, but we don’t know yet what happened to the rest of the crew,” an official told AFP, suggesting that hopes of locating more survivors were fading.

However, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan navy later disputed the earlier report about 101 missing sailors. He told Reuters that 32 injured crew members had been rescued from the scene by Sri Lankan naval forces.

Navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said the rescue operation was conducted in accordance with Sri Lanka’s international maritime responsibilities. He added that the 32 Iranian sailors who were recovered were transported to the main hospital in Galle, located about 115 kilometers (70 miles) south of the capital, Colombo.

Security was increased outside the Galle hospital as the wounded sailors arrived under the care of local authorities.

“We responded to the distress call under our international obligations, as this is within our search and rescue area in the Indian Ocean,” Sampath told AFP.

During a parliamentary session, an opposition lawmaker asked whether the Iranian vessel had been struck as part of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Sri Lankan officials did not immediately respond to the question.

Both the Sri Lankan navy and air force said they would not release video or images from the rescue operation, explaining that the incident involved the military forces of another country.

{Matzav.com}

Senior American defense officials said Wednesday that the United States and Israel have rapidly seized the upper hand in the war against Iran, describing sweeping military successes only days after the campaign began.

United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine spoke with reporters Wednesday morning and asserted that American forces are achieving overwhelming results. Hegseth said that “America is winning decisively, devastatingly, and without warning.”

According to Hegseth, the operation is still in its earliest stages but has already produced striking gains. Though the campaign has been underway for just four days, he said the results have been “incredible.” He credited the success to the unique military capabilities of the United States and said that no other nation could have carried out such an effort on its own. He added that “when you add the Israeli Defense Force, a devastatingly capable force, the combination is sheer destruction for our radical Islamist adversaries. They are toast, and they know it.”

Hegseth also said the United States and Israel are close to achieving full aerial dominance over Iran. Beginning overnight and expected to be fully completed within the coming days, he explained, the two allied militaries will soon control the airspace across Iran.

He said that once that stage is reached, “the two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control over Iranian skies – uncontested airspace… We will fly all day and all night, finding and fixing the missiles and defense industrial base of the Iranian military. Finding and fixing their leaders and military leaders… Iranian leaders will look up and see only US and Israeli airpower, every minute until we decide this is over.”

Hegseth also repeated President Trump’s warning that the current wave of strikes is only the beginning and that the pace of the campaign will continue to intensify.

Quoting the President, he said that “more and larger waves are coming. We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating. Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour, while American strength grows fiercer, smarter, and utterly dominant. More bombers and more fighters are arriving just today.”

The secretary outlined the types of weapons currently being deployed in the campaign, saying U.S. forces are using 500-pound and 1,000-pound GPS-guided and laser-guided precision gravity bombs to destroy Iranian targets. He added that Iranian missile stockpiles are being depleted as the conflict continues.

Hegseth also addressed the deaths of six American servicemembers who were killed in Iranian missile attacks earlier in the fighting, vowing that the United States will respond forcefully. “We will avenge them, no doubt,” he said.

Providing additional details about overnight operations, Hegseth said U.S. forces destroyed one of the Iranian navy’s most important vessels. According to the secretary, American forces sank Iran’s flagship warship, the Soleimani.

He added that a U.S. submarine also destroyed another Iranian naval vessel that believed it was operating safely in international waters. The submarine fired a torpedo that sank the ship, marking what Hegseth described as a historic moment. He said the warship “that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead it was sunk by a torpedo; quiet death. The first sinking of a torpedo since World War Two.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s defense minister warned that any new leader installed by Iran’s ruling regime could be treated as a military target as Israel presses forward with its campaign against Tehran.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz issued the warning in a message posted on X, saying Israel is prepared to strike Iranian leaders who continue policies aimed at threatening Israel and its allies.

“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people—will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz wrote early Wednesday.

“It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” he added.

Katz said he and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to be ready to carry out such actions as part of Israel’s broader military operation against Iran.

“The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation Lion’s Roar,” he wrote.

The defense minister also said Israel intends to continue working closely with the United States in an effort to weaken Iran’s ruling regime while encouraging conditions that could eventually bring about political change in the country.

“We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime’s capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it,” he wrote.

Israel and the United States launched a series of airstrikes against Iranian targets on Shabbos, focusing on military facilities and senior officials in the regime. The strikes marked one of the most direct clashes in the long-running confrontation between the two countries.

Iran responded by firing missiles and deploying drones against Israeli territory and American positions across the region, fueling concerns that the fighting could broaden into a larger Middle East war as both sides continue exchanging attacks.

Among the names mentioned as a possible successor to Iran’s leadership is Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had long been viewed by some observers as a potential heir to the position even before his father was killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Shabbos.

Despite that speculation, Mojtaba Khamenei has never held elected office or an official role within Iran’s government.

{Matzav.com}

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday sharply criticized Israel, referring to it as an “apartheid state” and raising the possibility that the United States may eventually need to reconsider its military backing of the country. His remarks came as President Donald Trump faces growing political pressure in Washington following U.S. military strikes against Iran.

Newsom made the comments during an event in Los Angeles while promoting his newly released memoir.

During a discussion with Jon Favreau, host of the “Pod Save America” podcast, Newsom was asked whether the United States should begin “rethinking our military support for Israel.”

Newsom responded: “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don’t think you have a choice about that consideration,” Politico reported.

The California governor, who traveled to Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has found himself navigating a politically sensitive issue that deeply divided Democrats during the 2024 presidential race.

Newsom has previously emphasized the strong relationship between California and Israel, while also noting that he did not receive campaign donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

AIPAC typically focuses on federal elections rather than state-level contests. Through its affiliated federal political committees, the organization supports candidates seeking seats in Congress.

The group describes its mission as supporting “pro-Israel Democratic and Republican members of Congress and congressional candidates,” a focus that centers specifically on elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

At the Los Angeles event, Newsom directed criticism toward the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that internal political considerations in Israel are influencing policy decisions.

“He’s got his own domestic issues. He’s trying to stay out of jail. He’s got an election coming up. He’s potentially on the ropes. He’s got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West Bank,” Newsom said, adding that some “are talking about it appropriately as sort of an apartheid state.”

Newsom also took aim at the Trump administration’s military campaign in Iran, expressing skepticism about the administration’s stated objectives.

Iranian state media reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes, and other reports have described a widening American military campaign against Iran that has drawn legal and political scrutiny from Democrats while being praised by many Republicans.

“We’re talking about regime change?” Newsom said. “For two years, they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”