Iran launched six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, injuring at least 15 American troops, including five seriously wounded.
The attack brings the total American casualties in the Iran conflict beyond 300 service members. Officials initially reported 10 troops injured, with two seriously wounded, before revising the figures upward.
Naija News gathered that the Saudi installation, located approximately 96 kilometres from Riyadh, has faced repeated Iranian strikes since the conflict began one month ago.
The Royal Saudi Air Force operates the base, which also hosts American military personnel. Iran has targeted the facility multiple times this week alone, with a previous attack injuring 14 US troops and another damaging American aircraft.
Thirteen American Service Members Killed
The conflict has claimed 13 American lives since fighting began. Army Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died days after suffering wounds during a March 1 attack on Prince Sultan base.
Additionally, six service members died when an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at a civilian port in Kuwait.
Another six died when their refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq following an incident with another plane that military officials said involved neither hostile nor friendly fire.
US Central Command reported Friday that more than 300 service members have sustained injuries during the war. Most wounded troops have returned to duty, while 30 remain out of action and 10 suffer serious injuries.
Meanwhile, the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday that the US can achieve its objectives without deploying ground troops. However, he emphasised that President Donald Trump must prepare for multiple contingencies.
“He has to be prepared for multiple contingencies,” Rubio said, adding that American forces provide “the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”
Iran has responded to American and Israeli military operations with strikes against Israel and neighbouring Gulf Arab nations. The conflict has disrupted global air travel, halted oil exports and driven fuel prices sharply higher.
The latest attacks on the Prince Sultan base occurred after Trump claimed negotiations to end the conflict were proceeding well. The president set an April 6 deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denies engaging in any negotiations.
James Jeffrey, former deputy national security adviser to President George W. Bush, praised American military operational effectiveness despite the casualties.
“It’s amazing how low the casualties have been, given the amount of stuff that the Iranians have fired,” Jeffrey said.
However, Jeffrey, now a scholar at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, emphasised that Iran’s primary objective extends beyond killing American troops.
“We have not stopped Iran from its campaign against the Gulf. We have not eliminated all of their missiles. And of course, they still have the 400-plus kilograms of highly enriched uranium. It’s buried, but still it’s there,” Jeffrey stated.
