Two US Troops Killed as Iranian Missiles Strike Jordan Base
Two American service members were killed and one remains missing after an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on the Muwaffaq Salti airbase at Azraq in Jordan late on Friday, US Central Command said. Four others were taken to hospital and later discharged. They are the first American fatalities of the renewed conflict, and prompted a direct retaliatory bombing order from Washington.
The deaths shattered any remaining pretence of the collapsed June ceasefire and drew Washington and Tehran visibly closer to open war; the Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the fallen troops’ “sacrifice only stiffens our resolve”. Analysts note Iran is now firing high-speed, manoeuvring missiles at American bases, and US officials have voiced concern that Russia and China may be aiding Iranian targeting. The retaliation was swift: Washington ordered a fresh wave of strikes to “punish” the Revolutionary Guard units behind the attack. Britain’s forces sit inside the theatre, at the Bahrain naval base and the Qatar air hub. Watch whether the missing serviceman is recovered and how far the American response escalates.