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Pentagon hid dozens of US troop injuries from Iran strikes: Report

This US Marine Corps handout photograph taken on July 16, 2026, by US Central Command Public Affairs reportedly shows an Iranian flag flying behind a US Marine from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit during a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by Sgt. Joseph Helms / US MARINE CORPS / AFP)
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This US Marine Corps handout photograph taken on July 16, 2026, by US Central Command Public Affairs reportedly shows an Iranian flag flying behind a US Marine from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit during a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by Sgt. Joseph Helms / US MARINE CORPS / AFP)
July 20, 2026 11:22 PM GMT+03:00

The U.S. Defense Department failed to disclose dozens of military injuries and equipment damage caused by Iranian strikes in the week before a fatal attack Friday, The New York Times reported Monday.

The report, citing several U.S. officials, said Tehran carried out three strikes against American forces in Jordan before the attack that killed two soldiers and left another missing.

The earlier incidents reportedly caused multiple service member injuries and damaged several helicopters.

The Pentagon did not disclose those casualties, citing operational security, according to the report.

A military official told The New York Times that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is not legally required to report injuries, particularly when personnel return to duty quickly.

The total number of U.S. personnel killed since the war began Feb. 28 has reached 16, while more than 400 others have been injured.

Neither the Pentagon nor CENTCOM immediately responded to Anadolu's request for comment on the report.

This US Marine Corps handout photograph taken on July 16, 2026, by US Central Command Public Affairs reportedly shows US Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducting a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by US MARINE CORPS / AFP)
This US Marine Corps handout photograph taken on July 16, 2026, by US Central Command Public Affairs reportedly shows US Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducting a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman. (Photo by US MARINE CORPS / AFP)

Nearly 100 US troops injured this month

Nearly 100 U.S. service members were injured in a series of Iranian airstrikes targeting military bases across the Middle East this month, U.S. officials told CBS News.

The officials said most of those injured had since returned to active duty.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the figures in a statement to CBS News, saying almost 100 personnel "were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7, 2026," with 96% of them since returned.

"They are determined to get back in the fight. The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions," he said.

The reports came as the United States continued to carry out airstrikes against Iran, with the attacks largely focused on southern Iran.

Tehran has retaliated with strikes targeting facilities and bases in several regional countries that it says are used by the U.S. military.

The exchange of fire between the two countries comes despite a Pakistani-brokered framework agreement signed in June to end the war and reach a lasting peace deal.

An infographic titled "US strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks" created in Ankara, Türkiye on July 17, 2026. (Aa Graphics)
An infographic titled "US strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks" created in Ankara, Türkiye on July 17, 2026. (Aa Graphics)

Trump warns Iran over US troop deaths

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran would pay "many times over" for any American troops killed amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.

"Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He said the directive had been passed on to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Daniel Caine and "every Leader in the Military."

The Pentagon confirmed three U.S. deaths over the weekend, including two at a military base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq.

Trump says Netanyahu will not be arrested in US

In a separate post, Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."

"He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others," Trump wrote.

"The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented spiral of death and destruction, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents," he added.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told The New York Times that his administration's legal department was actively discussing the potential arrest of Netanyahu.

"I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani said. "He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years."

Netanyahu recently postponed a U.S. visit originally set for this month to September.

July 20, 2026 11:22 PM GMT+03:00
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