U.S. military casualties continue to mount, making it unrealistic to win a war in the Middle East at zero cost.

According to U.S. Department of Defense sources, since the U.S. launched its "Epic Fury" operation against Iran at the end of February, 365 U.S. service members have been injured. The Pentagon has released the distribution of wounded personnel:

- Army: 247

- Navy: 63

- Air Force: 36

- Marine Corps: 19

The U.S. military states that the number of U.S. fatalities remains at 13.

1. The scale of U.S. military casualties far exceeds early public perceptions

With 365 injured and 13 killed, the injury-to-death ratio is nearly 30:1, indicating a high level of combat intensity. However, thanks to mature battlefield medical care and advanced armor/protection equipment, the U.S. military has significantly reduced its casualty rate.

The Army accounts for nearly 70% of the injured, suggesting that ground forces and forward-deployed personnel are the main targets. This indicates that Iran and its proxies have focused their attacks on U.S. military bases and outposts in the Middle East.

2. The fact that 365 personnel were injured within just over a month suggests that Iran's retaliatory actions—using missiles, drones, and rockets—are intense and sustained. The U.S. military is not experiencing one-sided dominance but rather enduring prolonged harassment and attacks.

3. Significant domestic political and strategic pressure on the United States in the Middle East

If casualties continue to rise, anti-war sentiment and calls for troop withdrawal within the U.S. will grow rapidly. With 13 deaths and 365 injuries, this conflict has already escalated beyond a "limited strike" into a regional war from which the U.S. cannot easily disengage.

4. Exposes the vulnerability of U.S. military deployments in the Middle East

Even with advanced missile defense systems, the U.S. military cannot fully defend against saturation, multi-directional attacks involving missiles and drones, leading to inevitable casualties. This is precisely the core deterrent strategy Iran has long used to deter the United States.

This data does not represent a minor skirmish—it reflects the real battlefield costs faced by modern U.S. forces when confronting a peer-level adversary. It proves that while the U.S. can unleash massive airpower bombardment, as long as Iran resolutely responds, U.S. forces must endure continuous casualties. The idea of winning a war in the Middle East at zero cost is no longer realistic.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861541091345420/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.