Greg Myhre

Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, says that in addition to those killed and seriously wounded, others sustained minor shrapnel injuries.

The brief statement did not provide details.

However, the reference to shrapnel wounds suggests the casualties were caused by the missiles or drones that Iran is firing at U.S.

forces in the region on land and at sea.

U.S.

and Israeli airstrikes last June and in the current air campaign have significantly weakened Iran's military, but it still has the ability to carry out deadly attacks.

In another lethal Iranian strike, a missile hit a civilian area near Tel Aviv on Sunday, killing at least nine people.

Greg Myhre, NPR News, Washington.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon released the names at a press conference and confirmed all nine victims were recovered.

The three Blackbird Mountain guides who died were Andrew Alessandros of Verde, Nevada, Nicole Chu of South Lake Tahoe, and Michael Henry of Soda Springs.

The six clients were Elizabeth Klebaugh of Boise, Idaho, Catherine Vitt of Greenbrae, and Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, and Catherine Sekhar of Soda Springs.

The group was in the final day of a three-day trip to the Frog Lake huts when the avalanche struck on Tuesday morning.

Six survivors were rescued that night.

For NPR News, I'm Greg Meechek in Rockland.

He has a range of options now that U.S.

forces have reached a critical mass in the region.

We're talking about two aircraft carriers, more than a dozen ships, perhaps a couple hundred warplanes.

All this spread around the region.

Now, at one end of the spectrum, Trump could opt for a brief limited military strike and then pause the attack and give Iran another chance to negotiate.

Trump was asked about this scenario Friday and said, quote, I guess I can say I'm considering it.