In a deadly escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran that has pushed an already fragile informal ceasefire into full-blown open conflict, two American service members have been confirmed dead and one is still unaccounted for following a coordinated Iranian strike involving ballistic missiles and drones targeting a location in Jordan, senior US military officials confirmed Friday.
According to a statement released by US Central Command (Centcom), four additional US service members who required immediate medical attention after the attack were evacuated to regional medical facilities in Jordan, and all four have now been released from care after receiving treatment. Other personnel who sustained only minor injuries in the assault have already returned to their assigned posts, the command added.
Jordan’s national military had previously released its own update on the overnight attack, confirming that its air defense systems successfully intercepted 10 Iranian missiles that entered the country’s airspace, with no reported casualties or damage from the intercepted projectiles.
The Friday attack comes amid a sustained campaign of retaliatory action by the US military, which has now launched seven straight nights of offensive strikes against Iranian positions and assets across the region. This campaign began after former President Donald Trump announced that the temporary ceasefire agreement between the two nations was officially terminated.
The latest fatalities push the total number of American service members killed in the ongoing active conflict between the US and Iran to 14. That count includes a US Navy pilot who went missing earlier this month and was recently officially declared dead by the military, marking another grim milestone in the rapidly deteriorating security situation across the Middle East.