Two US service members were killed and one remains missing in Jordan following Iranian missile and drone strikes on the Al-Azraq Air Base, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced. Four other US personnel sustained injuries but have since been released.

US Casualties in Jordan

US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday (local time) said that two US service members were killed and another remains missing in Jordan following Iranian strikes on the US military assets at the Al-Azraq Air Base.

In a statement on X, CENTCOM stated that the incident occurred while American and partner forces were defending against the Iranian "ballistic missiles and drones" assault.

According to CENTCOM, the service members were killed on July 17 while performing their duties during the coordinated defence against the Iranian strikes. "On July 17, two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan while performing their duties, during the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces' defense against attacks launched by Iran using ballistic missiles and drones. In addition, one service member remains among the missing," the statement said.

CENTCOM further said that four US service members who sustained injuries during the attacks were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan. All four have since been discharged, while other personnel who received treatment for minor injuries have returned to duty. "Four U.S. service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals, and they later left the hospitals. Other service members who had undergone medical evaluation following minor injuries have returned to duty," the statement added.

The command said it would not release the identities of the deceased personnel until at least 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified, citing respect for the families' privacy. "Out of respect for the families' privacy, U.S. Central Command will not disclose any additional information, including the identities of the service members who were killed, until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified," CENTCOM said.

US Acknowledges Casualties

Following the CENTCOM announcement, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acknowledged the death of the service members, stating, "Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve," in a post on X.

Iran's Statement on Strikes

On Friday, the Iranian Army said it had targeted fuel storage facilities at Jordan's Al-Azraq Air Base as part of the 14th phase of Operation Lightning, launching drone strikes against multiple US military installations in Jordan and Kuwait.

According to the statement by the Iranian Army's Public Relations, the country's armed forces also targeted an ammunition depot at Al-Udairi Camp, headquarters buildings and ammunition depots at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, as well as several communication bridges.

Iran's strikes come as a retaliatory attack after US forces launched another round of military strikes against Iran, marking the seventh consecutive night of operations. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)