Two U.S. service members were killed overnight Friday in an Iranian strike on a military base in Jordan, U.S. Central Command said Saturday.
A third service member was also missing in action from the attack, CENTCOM said. Four other U.S. service members were medically evacuated to a hospital in Jordan and have since been discharged. Other service members were treated for minor injuries, according to the military.
The attack occurred at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. The location of the strike was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The identities of the American service members who died have not been released, pending notification of the next of kin.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted to the deaths of two U.S. service members in Jordan, saying Saturday in a social media post, “Godspeed, heroes.”
“Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve,” Hegseth said on X.
Following that Iranian attack, U.S. forces launched a new round of airstrikes against Iran at the direction of President Trump, CENTCOM said Saturday evening.
It marked the eighth straight night of strikes on Iran since ceasefire talks broke down.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” CENTCOM said.
The deaths in the latest round of fighting mark the 15th and 16th among U.S. service members in the war with Iran. Prior to Saturday, the most recent death was that of a U.S. Navy pilot who died when his MH-60S helicopter made an emergency landing at sea last month, though the Navy said there was “no indication” of hostile action.
Six service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a base in Kuwait in March. Also in March, six were killed when a refueling plane crashed in Iraq, and one was killed in an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
