Washington, March 2 – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly praised Israel's airstrike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, calling it a successful operation and highlighting close US-Israel coordination in the initial phase of Operation 'Epic Fury'.
"I think Israel did a great job in carrying out this operation," Hegseth said when asked about Israel's decision to launch the strike.
US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine provided further details, stating that the initial US assault was "a daylight strike based on a trigger event conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces, enabled by the US Intelligence community."
This formulation indicated that Israeli military action set the conditions for the broader US offensive that followed within hours.
Caine stated that once President Donald Trump gave the final order approving the operation with "no aborts," more than 100 US aircraft launched in a synchronized wave from land and sea.
However, he made it clear that Israeli forces were already active.
"Israel separately executed hundreds of sorties against hundreds of targets beyond Air Force and Navy aircraft strike packages," Caine said, describing parallel but coordinated action.
Hegseth framed the campaign as tightly focused.
"This is not a so-called regime change war," he said, adding that US objectives are focused on degrading Iranian military capabilities.
He also linked Israeli and American actions rhetorically, saying, "The regime that chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" was gifted death from America and death from Israel."
Beyond the strike on Khamenei, Israel was repeatedly referenced during the briefing as an operational partner.
Caine described coordination across domains, including intelligence support and the sequencing of strikes.
The initial assault, he said, demonstrated "the level of joint integration displayed across every element of the joint force."
Hegseth also said that Israel has "clear missions as well, for which we are grateful capable partners", adding, "As we've said since the beginning, capable partners are good partners."
The remarks underscored that Israeli operations were not limited to a single leadership strike but extended to sustained aerial activity alongside US forces.
While the Pentagon did not provide specifics about Israeli targeting decisions, officials emphasised that the two militaries were acting in concert against Iranian command, missile and naval infrastructure.
Caine noted that the scale of integration reflected years of planning and trust between the two forces.
He described the broader operation as historic in scope and execution, highlighting coordinated cyber, space and air actions.
