Iranian Strikes Damage US Military Aircraft at Jordan Base

Iranian strikes this week damaged multiple American military aircraft at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a US official said, in the latest blow to US air assets during the ongoing conflict.

The attack hit one A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, leaving it with a missing wing, while roughly eight F-15s sustained light damage and were returned to service, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Iranian strike followed US forces' destruction of five Iranian crude oil carriers. Washington said its action was in response to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps twice targeting a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the preceding two days.

US forces fired roughly 30 Patriot interceptors to counter the Iranian missiles, the official said, amid growing concern over the inventory of US air defence interceptors and other missiles. While specific stockpile figures are classified, the Center for Strategic and International Studies has estimated that about 65% of US Patriot interceptors were expended between February and July, leaving fewer than 850 on hand, down from 2,330 before the Iran war began.

The material damage adds to losses already suffered by the US military, the world's most heavily funded, even before Tuesday's strikes. These include the destruction of more than two dozen drones, Iranian strikes on fighter jets, and aircraft lost to accidents. A May report from the Congressional Research Service said 42 US military aircraft had already been lost or damaged in the conflict.

Since the Iran war started in February, 18 US service members have been killed and over 800 injured.

In a further indication of the scale of destruction from Iranian strikes on US military targets, acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao told the Epoch Times that Iran "blew the hell out of Bahrain." He was referring to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, which Tehran has struck.