US embassy in Baghdad targeted as Iran launches attacks during Operation Epic Fury

The Iranian regime is using artificial intelligence to generate a false "global narrative" that it is winning the war with the U.S., Bridget Bean, the former acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), told Fox News on Friday.

"They can't win on the battlefield, so they're going to try and win through AI and through a global narrative," Bean said on "The Ingraham Angle."

"And their old playbook was very discernible – funny faces or out-of-time lip sync – but they've gotten very good on some of their AI manipulation. And we've seen that."

Bean said those scrolling quickly on their phones might not notice that something is off about the regime's AI-generated content and urged people to be "careful about what's happening."

"Their goal is to weaken our will, our resolve and to really push a narrative that is not true," she added.

The New York Post reported Thursday that Iran published AI-altered images of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, which comes on the heels of reports that he is too injured to make a public appearance.

Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, has been identified by WSYX as one of the six U.S. service members killed in a plane crash in western Iraq this week during Operation Epic Fury.

U.S. Central Command said Friday that the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft "was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury." Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine later said "three of the six servicemembers killed during the air refueling mission in Iraq were Ohioans deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing."

"He called me on Wednesday, and we were able to talk to him," Simmons' mother, Cheryl Simmons, told WSYX. "I was over here, and we actually had a beautiful conversation. I was like Tyler, how are you? He said I'm good. I'm good, but mother knows. He was having some challenges, you know, he told me they had been shot at, but he was okay," Simmons added.

"Tyler was just a fantastic, amazing man," she was quoted by the station as saying.

The Fujairah Media Office in the United Arab Emirates said a fire broke out Saturday “as a result of falling debris following the successful interception by air defenses of a drone." 

There were no injuries, it added, but sources told Reuters that some oil-loading operations were suspended in the area. 

The Fujairah emirate, located near the Strait of Hormuz, handles around 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude oil, according to Reuters. 

The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday that its air defense systems “engaged 9 ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran.” 

“Since the onsets of the blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defenses have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1600 UAVs launched from Iran,” it added. 

Iranian refugee Armin Assadi told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday that Iranians “are grateful to God that America stood up” to the regime in Tehran. 

"There isn't tons of videos out there, but there is videos out there. There's people literally in Iran that have never been to America that are thanking USA. There's people in Iran that are doing the Trump dance,” he said. “You know, there's people all over Iran yelling, ‘God bless the USA!’" 

"You can create all these weird narratives that Iran is against this war, but the regime might be, the people are not. The people are celebrating it and are grateful to God that America stood up,” he added. 

“There's a lot of mixed feelings, you know, you have lots of, concerns, worries, stress. It's war. People are going to die. But at the same time, you can't help feel the sense of gratitude and hope that Iran might be free again for the first time in 47 years,” Assadi also said. 

The Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday it struck the “primary research center of the Iranian Space Agency and an aerial defense system production factory.” 

“The center contained strategic laboratories used for research, including developing military satellites, intelligence collection, and directing fire toward targets across the Middle East,” the IDF said. 

“The IDF also struck several Iranian terror regime aerial defense systems production sites including a key factory,” it added. 

Israel launched Operation Roaring Lion alongside the United States’ Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. As of Saturday, both campaigns have reached their 15-day mark. 

U.S. Central Command released footage Saturday showing American forces carrying out Friday's "large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, Iran."

"The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites. U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure," CENTCOM said.

"Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island," Trump had wrote on Truth Social.

The island, located roughly 35 miles off Iran’s Bushehr province in the country’s southwest, is about the size of New York City’s Central Park but carries huge importance for Iran’s economy.

It has a loading capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, and roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through it. Most of those exports are shipped to China and India, underscoring the island’s importance not only to Iran’s energy trade but also to broader global oil markets.

Fox News Digital's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

As Iranian-designed Shahed drones proliferate across battlefields from Ukraine to the Middle East, relatively cheap unmanned aircraft are forcing the use of some of the world's most expensive air defense systems, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of that approach.

The issue has taken on new urgency in the wake of Operation Epic Fury, as Iranian drones — widely estimated to cost $20,000 to $50,000 to manufacture — target U.S. forces and allied Gulf states across the region.

U.S. and partner forces have relied on a mix of Patriot missiles, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batteries, naval interceptors and other systems to blunt the attacks.

While many of the incoming drones have been intercepted, the strikes have still exacted a cost, killing six U.S. service members in Kuwait and damaging civilian infrastructure, including airports and hotels in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The mounting toll has intensified concerns over how to counter drone swarms without depleting interceptor stockpiles that cost millions of dollars each to replace.

The State Department announced it is offering a $10 million reward for information about Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and "key leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its component branches.” 

Through its Rewards for Justice program, the State Department also said it is looking for information on Ali Asghar Hejazi, the deputy chief of staff for the Supreme Leader Office and Ali Larijani, Iran's secretary for its Supreme National Security Council. 

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), part of Iran’s official military, plays a central role in Iran’s use of terrorism as a key tool of Iranian statecraft,” the State Department said. 

“In addition, the IRGC has created, supported, and directed other terrorist groups. The IRGC is responsible for numerous attacks targeting Americans and U.S. facilities, including those that have killed U.S. citizens,” it continued. “Since its founding in 1979, the IRGC has gained a substantial role in executing Iran’s foreign policy. The group now wields control over vast segments of Iran’s economy and is influential in Iranian domestic politics.” 

Bahrain’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday that Iran fired 10 drones and three missiles at the country. 

“The General Command of the Bahrain Defense Force announced that through the unwavering vigilance of its personnel, the BDF's air defense systems continue to successfully counter successive waves of the hostile terrorist Iranian aggression,” the Bahrain News Agency said Saturday. 

“Since the onset of hostilities, air defenses have intercepted and destroyed 124 ballistic missiles and 203 drones targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain,” it added. 

Iran’s military also threatened Saturday to attack cities in the United Arab Emirates, according to The Associated Press. 

A message broadcast by Iranian state television called on people to evacuate “ports, docks and locations where U.S. forces are sheltered in UAE cities,” the AP added. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A missile reportedly struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad early Saturday, two Iraqi security officials told The Associated Press.

The outlet reported that smoke was seen rising from inside the compound.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not immediately comment on the incident.

The embassy had issued a security alert on Friday, saying, "Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups pose a significant threat to public safety in Iraq."

"There have been attacks against U.S. citizens, U.S. interests, and critical infrastructure. These groups have attacked U.S. businesses and U.S.-operated energy infrastructure and may continue to target them," the message said. "Iran-aligned terrorist militias have also attacked hotels frequented by foreigners and other facilities with U.S. ties throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). Americans also face risk of kidnapping."

"We are closely monitoring the situation and will keep you updated so you can make decisions about your safety. If you want to leave Iraq, the U.S. government is ready to assist by providing you the latest information about the departure options available.  President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and the Department of State have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens," the alert also said.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. had carried out a bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a strategically vital island in the Persian Gulf that serves as the country’s largest oil terminal and a crucial hub for its crude exports.

"Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The island, located roughly 35 miles off Iran’s Bushehr province in the country’s southwest, is about the size of New York City’s Central Park but carries huge importance for Iran’s economy.

It has a loading capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, and roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through it. Most of those exports are shipped to China and India, underscoring the island’s importance not only to Iran’s energy trade but also to broader global oil markets.

That makes Kharg Island one of Iran’s most sensitive and strategically important pieces of infrastructure. Any military action there could have consequences well beyond Iran, raising the risk of disruptions to crude flows, shipping traffic and energy prices across the region.

Trump said the U.S. had deliberately avoided targeting the island’s oil infrastructure, while warning that could change if Iran moved to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.