House and Senate to receive classified briefing on military operation in Iran

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Days after the U.S.-Israeli joint strike on Iran, top Trump administration officials will brief both chambers of Congress on the escalating operation as the conflict spreads across the region.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are expected to brief all members of the House and Senate on Tuesday.

The planned briefing follows earlier notifications to congressional leadership.

Before the strikes began early Saturday, Rubio contacted and briefed members of the “Gang of Eight,” the bipartisan group of top congressional leaders and intelligence committee chairs who are normally notified of highly sensitive military operations.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on X that the group “was briefed in detail earlier this week that military action may become necessary to protect American troops and American citizens in Iran.”

The strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and numerous senior military leaders. Satellite imagery also showed burning ships and damaged facilities at several military bases.

U.S. Central Command, which is overseeing American military operations in the Middle East, reported U.S. forces struck more than 1,250 targets during the first two days of Operation Epic Fury.

“U.S. forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations,” CENTCOM said in an update on X. “We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime.”

President Donald Trump said in his first public remarks on Monday that the campaign followed months of rising tensions and failed nuclear negotiations.

Iran responded by launching extensive missile and drone barrages at Israeli territory, U.S. forces, and Gulf states, prompting heavy interception efforts by allied air defenses.

The Iranian Red Crescent reported on Tuesday that airstrikes by the United States and Israel have killed at least 787 people since the initial attack on Saturday.

CENTCOM confirmed six U.S. service members were killed in action during Iran’s initial attacks.

The State Department urged Americans on Monday to immediately depart from at least 14 countries in the Middle East “due to serious safety risks.”

Trump has not provided a timeline for how long the operation will last. Military planners had initially projected the campaign would last four to five weeks.