Two members of the U.S. military were killed in combat in Jordan during an Iranian attack with missiles and drones

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed this Saturday that two American soldiers died in combat on Friday in Jordan while defending an airbase from an Iranian attack with ballistic missiles and drones.

A third soldier remains missing.

According to the official CENTCOM statement issued from Tampa, Florida, the attack occurred on July 17 when Central Command forces and their allies repelled the Iranian offensive. Four additional military personnel were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and later released, while others with minor injuries returned to active service.

The incident took place at the Al Azraq air base (also known as Muwaffaq Salti base), located about 100 kilometers east of Amman, in the Zarqa governorship.

The facility houses the U.S. 407th Air Expeditionary Group, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and Jordanian F-16 squadrons, and has been used for operations against the Islamic State since 2014.

This is not the first time this base has been the target of Iranian attacks in July. On July 9, Iran launched 10 ballistic missiles at Al Azraq, of which Jordan intercepted eight without reporting any casualties.

On July 15, a new drone attack targeted communication systems, fuel depots, radars, and U.S. F-18 fighter jets.

Iran has framed these attacks within the so-called "Operation Saeqeh" (Lightning), launched in retaliation for the American bombings against Iranian military targets.

Since the resumption of the conflict on July 8 —when President Donald Trump declared the end of the "Islamabad Memorandum" after Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—, the U.S. has carried out at least five waves of bombings against more than 300 Iranian military targets.

Iran responded by attacking U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. This Saturday, Tehran formally declared the agreement with Washington suspended, further escalating the tension.

The casualties on Friday are the first confirmed by CENTCOM since the resumption of hostilities on July 7. In the previous phase of the conflict, which began in February 2026, the U.S. had already confirmed six soldiers killed, all in Kuwait, now raising the total of American casualties in the conflict.

Trump promised to respond "with all American strength" and personally attended the repatriation ceremony of the remains in Dover, Delaware, blaming the Biden administration for the security situation in the Middle East.

CENTCOM indicated that, "out of respect for the families, it will withhold additional information, including the identities of the fallen soldiers, until 24 hours after the closest relatives have been notified."