According to U.S. Central Command on Saturday, two American service personnel were killed on Friday while defending Jordan from an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack, while another service member is still unaccounted for.
As U.S. and partner forces responded to the attack, CENTCOM reported that the soldiers were killed in action. It gave no further information on the circumstances or the location of the incident in Jordan.
At 6 p.m., the United States started attacking Iran with retaliatory airstrikes. ET on Saturday at President Donald Trump’s request to “swiftly punish” Iranian forces for the assault, according to a statement from CENTCOM.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes were also meant to reduce Iran’s “capacity to harm commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz. This is the most recent action taken by the United States to put pressure on Tehran to cede control of the vital trade route.
According to CENTCOM, four other US military men were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals but have since been released. Other employees who were assessed for minor injuries are back on the job.
According to CENTCOM, the identity of the two deceased military men will not be revealed until 24 hours after their families have been informed.
Following the breakdown of an interim truce, the war between the United States and Iran has escalated. Over the past week, Iran has launched ballistic missiles and drones toward U.S. military installations and American allies around the region, including Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, while U.S. forces have carried out daily strikes.
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