"Between our air force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck. That's well over 1,000 a day," Hegseth told a news conference, adding that Friday would mark the highest volume of strikes yet in the campaign.

The United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28, and Tehran has responded with waves of missiles and drones launched at countries in the region hosting US troops.

Washington's forces have been targeting Iranian missile and drone infrastructure, and Hegseth said Friday that the volume of return fire has dramatically decreased from earlier in the conflict.

Iran's "missiles, their missile launchers and drones (are) being destroyed or shot out of the sky," he said, adding: "Their missile volume is down 90 percent, their one-way attack drones yesterday -- down 95 percent."