Newsletters
Iran's improving ability to strike sensitive targets has raised concerns among U.S. officials that the regime may be receiving targeting assistance from China or Russia, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, as Iran killed two U.S. service members and left a third missing in an attack on a Jordanian air base.
According to the Journal, Iran has adapted to U.S. defenses by firing missiles that travel at extremely high speeds and can maneuver as they descend toward their targets, according to U.S. officials cited by the outlet.
"Iran's ability to hit sensitive targets also has raised concerns that the regime is getting targeting help from China or Russia," the officials told the Journal.
Two U.S. service members were killed, and several were wounded in an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a facility U.S. warplanes have used for operations against Iran, according to U.S. officials cited by the outlet.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the deaths and said a third service member remains missing.
Four additional service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged, according to CENTCOM, while other personnel treated for minor injuries have returned to duty.
The Journal reported that manned and unmanned aircraft were also hit in the attack, according to people familiar with the matter.
According to the Journal, these are the first American deaths from hostile fire since Trump declared a ceasefire in early April, and will test the president's restraint given his prior statements that he would consider returning to war if Iran killed U.S. troops.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday the losses would "stiffen" U.S. resolve.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, offered condolences to the families in social media posts.
Shaheen added that "the President must negotiate an end to this disastrous war," according to the Journal.
The Journal reported that Muwaffaq Salti had been struck by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones on multiple prior occasions, including earlier in the week, when U.S. service members sustained minor injuries, according to two U.S. officials.
The base, defended by a THAAD antimissile system, had not previously seen a service member killed; a THAAD radar defending the base was damaged in an Iranian drone attack in March, prompting the U.S. to replace the component.
Prior to Friday's attack, the Pentagon had said 14 American service members had died in the conflict from hostile action or accidents, with a 15th dying of a medical emergency.
The Journal reported that the U.S. is deploying additional warplanes to the region in response, including F-16 fighters from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany capable of striking Iranian radars used to fire surface-to-air missiles, as well as stealth F-35s being sent from RAF Lakenheath in England, alongside additional aerial refueling tankers.
Washington announced that it completed its 8th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, as the U.S. has carried out successive waves of strikes on sites inside Iran, while Tehran has responded by attacking facilities and bases it says are used by the U.S. military in several regional countries.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated in recent weeks over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides trading attacks despite a Pakistani-mediated framework agreement aimed at ending the conflict and reaching a lasting peace deal.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
