US military identifies two soldiers killed in Iranian missile attack in Jordan | Today’s news
The United States on Monday (July 20th) identified two US soldiers killed in Jordan during Iranian missile and drone attacks, as Washington and Tehran move closer to all-out war after their interim truce deal collapsed.
The Pentagon said 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was killed while supporting the U.S. mission against the Islamic State in Jordan. The exact circumstances of their deaths have not been disclosed.
The US Central Command said on Saturday (July 18) that two service members were killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, writing on the X: “God, heroes. Their sacrifice only strengthens our resolve.”
The US-Iranian conflict is intensifying
The latest casualties underscore the widening scope of the conflict after a temporary ceasefire signed last month collapsed. Since then, the United States has renewed strikes on Iranian military and infrastructure targets, while Tehran has retaliated with attacks on American assets and allied countries across the Middle East.
Iran launched strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other US partners after US forces attacked bridges, energy facilities and other infrastructure inside Iran.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei accused Washington of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement and said President Donald Trump’s commitments were “totally worthless and lack credibility.”
The conflict, which began in late February, has targeted civilian infrastructure, including bridges, ports, utilities and telecommunications facilities, raising fears of a prolonged regional war.
US military death toll rises to 17
The Pentagon said 17 US service members had been killed since the conflict began.
Among the earlier victims:
-Six US soldiers were killed in an Iranian drone attack on a civilian port in Kuwait shortly after the war began.
-Another soldier later died of injuries sustained in a missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
-Six service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq during operations in support of the campaign against Iran.
– A Navy pilot also died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea earlier this month.
-Another US service member was killed in northern Iraq while conducting a controlled detonation of an unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.
Military officials noted that U.S. personnel remain vulnerable in the Middle East despite not operating on the ground inside Iran.
The US began its ninth consecutive night of strikes
The United States carried out a new wave of airstrikes against Iran early on Monday and stepped up its military campaign, before announcing the death of another US service member in Iraq. Iran retaliated with missile attacks directed at Bahrain and Kuwait, further deepening the conflict that has pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale regional war.
The renewed fighting comes days after the collapse of an interim ceasefire agreement that briefly halted hostilities.
The U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out a ninth consecutive night of airstrikes targeting Iranian military command centers, air defense systems, coastal observation posts, missile and drone launchers, naval capabilities and communications networks.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said at least one person was killed near the northwestern city of Tabriz, home to underground missile bases operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to Iranian media, the strikes also hit Bandar Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province, Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province, and Konarak and Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchistan province.
Trump says strikes honor fallen soldiers
The latest offensive followed the Pentagon’s announcement that another member of the US military was killed in Iraq on Saturday while carrying out a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.
“We hit them very hard again tonight,” President Donald Trump said. “And we did it in honor” of the slain soldiers.
Read also | Jordan becomes new flashpoint in US-Iran war as military death toll rises
Iran will retaliate against allies in the Persian Gulf
Iran responded with missile attacks targeting Bahrain, home of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and Kuwait.
Air raid sirens sounded over Bahrain, while Kuwaiti authorities said air defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian missiles.
The attacks marked a further escalation of Tehran’s strategy to target US allies in the Persian Gulf following US attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the conflict.
A commercial vessel caught fire after being hit by a projectile near the coast of Oman early on Monday, according to the UK Maritime Merchant Operations (UKMTO). The crew abandoned the ship, which was left adrift and on fire.
The US military encouraged merchant vessels to use routes closer to Oman to avoid Iranian-controlled waters, although Iran’s Revolutionary Guards later claimed responsibility for targeting tankers in the area.
Adding to the concerns was Yemen’s Houthi movement, which announced a naval embargo against Saudi Arabia in reference to last week’s attack on Sanaa International Airport. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz largely cut off, Saudi Arabia increasingly relied on pipelines to export oil through the Red Sea.
Read also | US vs Iran War: How the Hormuz Crisis Sparked 8 Days of Strikes | Full Timeline
