Yolande Nell
Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem

The U.S. military has hit more than 2,000 targets inside Iran since launching a joint bombing campaign with Israel, while Iran said it launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones.

The United States and Israel continue to use heavy firepower against Iran. Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a video statement that the first 24 hours of the joint operation was nearly twice the size of the shock and awe attack that began the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003.

More than 50,000 soldiers, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers and bombers are participating in the mission, which it said represents “the largest U.S. buildup in the Middle East in a generation.”

He said American forces destroyed 17 Iranian ships and sank the entire Iranian navy. The focus now is “shooting everything that can shoot us,” he added.

The United States and Israel said they targeted Iranian air defenses and hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones.

Israel announced in the past hours that it was carrying out “widespread attacks” against Iran at the same time as attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. It also said its air defense forces intercepted additional missiles fired from Iran and Lebanon.