Historic milestones in Operation Epic Fury
By Easton Martin | March 4, 2026
Military operations against Iran escalated Wednesday as Israeli and United States forces achieved some historic combat milestones during the fifth day of Operation Epic Fury.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that an F-35I Adir stealth fighter destroyed an Iranian Yak-130 aircraft over the skies of Tehran. This engagement is the first confirmed air-to-air kill of a manned enemy aircraft by a fifth-generation fighter jet. According to military spokesmen, the dogfight lasted only a few seconds before the Iranian jet was neutralized.
In a separate maritime engagement, a United States Navy fast-attack submarine sank the IRIS Dena, a prominent Iranian warship, in the Indian Ocean. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the vessel was destroyed by a single Mark 48 torpedo. This strike marks the first time a U.S. submarine has sunk an enemy combatant ship in combat since the end of World War II.
The Dena, described as a prize ship of the Iranian Navy, was operating in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka when the attack occurred. These high-value takedowns occur as the joint military campaign continues to target Iranian leadership and defense infrastructure.
The operation, which began on February 28, has neutralized key military assets and command structures across the region. While the United States and Israel maintain that these actions are necessary to address regional security threats, the conflict has caused significant disruption to global oil markets and prompted retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. Pentagon officials indicated that air and naval operations will likely persist for several weeks to ensure the total degradation of Iranian military capabilities.
