Operations

A rocket containing chemical materials has reportedly been used in the Syrian conflict for the first time.

Seven Marines were killed and several others were injured during a training exercise Monday night at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation, the Marine Corps said in a statement Tuesday.

“We send our prayers and condolences to the families of Marines involved in this tragic incident. We remain focused on ensuring that they are supported through this difficult time,” Marine Expeditionary Force commander Maj. Gen. Raymond Fox said in a statement. “We mourn their loss, and it is with heavy hearts we remember their courage and sacrifice.”

A decade later, the conflict casts a heavy shadow over potential U.S. military action in Syria and Iran.

A new poll finds a majority of Americans believe the war in Iraq was a mistake, 10 years after the U.S. and its allies invaded the country.

The move comes in preparation for possible armed drone strikes against Islamic militants, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Pentagon will deploy an additional 14 ground-based missile interceptors on the West Coast, an increase of nearly 50 percent.

U.S. forces tasked with keeping a lid on the escalating terrorist threat emanating from Africa are suffering from a significant gap in military intelligence and special operations forces assets, according to the top U.S. officer in the region. 

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) wants to award two former Navy SEALs who were killed during last year’s terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, the Congressional Gold Medal.

Hunter introduced legislation Thursday to grant the award, Congress’ highest civilian honor, to Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, two of the four Americans who were killed in Benghazi.

“Doherty and Woods saved lives, at the cost of their own. They are American heroes,” Hunter said in a statement.

The Topline: American and Iranian tensions nearly bubbled over this week after Tehran launched fighter jets against an American drone conducting classified surveillance missions in the region, the Pentagon admitted on Thursday.

An Iranian F-4 Phantom fighter jet closed in on an Air Force MQ-1 Predator aerial drone and its fighter escort during "a routine classified surveillance flight" above international waters in the Persian Gulf, Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement Thursday.

Initial DOD reports said the Iranian fighter continued its pursuit of the drone until one of the Predator's escort fighters fired a flare "as a warning to the Iranian plane," forcing the fighter to break off its pursuit.

Little later said that the Iranian jet broke off its pursuit of the Predator and its escorts after U.S. personnel issued a "verbal warning" to the fighter.

This was the second time in recent months Iranian fighter jets have engaged American drones operating in the Mideast.

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U.S. and Iranian warplanes came dangerously close to exchanging fire over the Persian Gulf this week, after Tehran again attempted to disrupt an American drone on an intelligence gathering operation in the region, according to the Defense Department (DOD).