Anthony ThompsonUSA TODAY
Updated July 18, 2026, 3:24 p.m. ET
Two U.S. service members were killed and another remains <a href="https://absafricatv.com/two-us-troops-killed-and-one-missing-after-iranian-attack-in-jordan/” title=”Two US troops killed and one missing after Iranian attack in Jordan”>missing after Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks struck U.S. and partner forces in Jordan, U.S. Central Command said Saturday.
CENTCOM said the troops came under attack July 17. Four additional American service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been discharged, while other personnel treated for minor injuries have returned to duty.
The military said it is withholding the identities of the fallen service members and the missing service member out of respect for their families. Additional information will not be released until at least 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
The announcement came as fighting between the United States and Iran continued to intensify across the Middle East.
Iran expands attacks across the region
The casualties were announced as Iran launched fresh attacks on U.S. allies following another night of American strikes on Iranian military targets.
Iran targeted Kuwait with ballistic missiles and drones, striking military-linked facilities and critical infrastructure. Kuwaiti officials said air defenses intercepted several incoming threats, though attacks damaged facilities and injured firefighters and oil sector workers responding to the strikes.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted U.S. military support sites in Kuwait in retaliation for ongoing U.S. operations. The group also warned that additional attacks against U.S. allies in the region could follow.
US military campaign against Iran continues
The latest violence follows multiple rounds of U.S. strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
U.S. Central Command said recent strikes targeted Iranian military assets that officials say threatened commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM’s commander, said the campaign is intended to protect civilian sailors and hold Iran accountable for attacks that have left civilian crew members dead, injured and missing.
President Donald Trump has defended the expanded military campaign, saying U.S. strikes will continue until Iran agrees to conditions that ensure regional security and freedom of navigation. Iranian leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to continue resisting U.S. military pressure, signaling the conflict is unlikely to ease in the near term.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
