The fighting in the Middle East has killed thousands, including at least 13 U.S. service members
NEED TO KNOW
- Twelve U.S. troops were injured in an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, March 27
- Two Americans suffered serious injuries, while the other 10 suffered concussions in the missile and drone strike, which also damaged multiple aircrafts
- The attack is one of the most serious breaches of U.S. air defenses in the war with Iran, per The New York Times
Twelve Americans were injured, some seriously, in an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Two of the twelve U.S. troops wounded in the Iranian attack on Friday, March 27, suffered serious injuries, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials. The other 10 suffered concussions, per the Journal.
Iran fired both missiles and drones at the air base in the attack, which also damaged multiple U.S. refueling planes, according to the Journal and the Times.
At least one missile struck the air base itself, along with several aerial vehicles, the Journal reported, citing officials. The vehicles were not manned at the time of the attack, according to the outlet.
The March 27 strike was the second to hit the base amid the war, according to the Journal, which previously reported that five refueling aircraft suffered damage in an earlier attack.
The Times reported that it is also one of the most serious breaches of U.S. air defenses in the war with Iran, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on the country in late February, as part of what the U.S. has called "Operation Epic Fury,” an operation aimed to topple a hostile power and prevent its nuclear ambitions.
In the wake of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack, Iran vowed retaliation, with its government naming Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son as his successor after Khamenei was killed early in the war.
Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty
The fighting in the Middle East, including the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, has killed thousands. At least 13 U.S. service members have died during the conflict. (The first six died when Iran struck a makeshift base in Kuwait in early March.)
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The war has also shaken the global economy, particularly as Iran shut down access to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping waterway. In the U.S., the average price for a gallon of regular gas is approaching $4, per AAA, as oil prices have spiked since the start of the war.
The Trump administration has offered competing timelines and rationales for when and how the conflict will end, with President Donald Trump stating that the war will be over “when I feel it in my bones.” Democrats in Congress, meanwhile, have assailed the White House's approach.
Trump, 79, has also claimed that peace talks have taken place between the U.S. and Iran, which Iranian officials have denied.
The president claimed in a March 23 Truth Social post that the U.S. had been engaged in "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” and announced a five-day postponement on previously threatened attacks targeting Iran's power plants.
Iran later denied that any talks between the country and the U.S. had taken place.
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