Iran strikes expose gaps in U.S. base defenses in Jordan

An Iranian missile that reached a Jordanian air base on Friday killed two U.S. soldiers, left one service member missing in action and raised urgent questions about how Tehran’s weapons are getting past air defenses, according to CBS News.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the deadly strike as a rare missile that made it through defensive fire. “We shot down almost all the missiles,” Rubio said, according to CBS News. “One leaked through … it’s heartbreaking.”

CBS News reported that the Friday attack was part of a broader pattern at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The same base had been hit twice in the 48 hours before the fatal strike, with direct impacts that wounded dozens of U.S. military personnel.

Jordanian forces intercepted more Iranian missiles and drones on Tuesday, CBS News reported, showing the attacks on and around U.S.-linked sites in the region have continued.

Central Command says the strike is under review

Asked by CBS News how Iranian weapons reached the base Friday, U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said it would be inappropriate to comment while the incident is still being reviewed.

Hawkins said U.S. and partner forces had stopped dozens of Iranian missiles and drones aimed at nearby Gulf countries on July 17, but said “a few got through and made impact,” according to CBS News.

President Trump, speaking at the White House on Tuesday, suggested that unidentified personnel outside the U.S. military may have played a role in the failed defense of the Jordan base.

“They did slip something through in Jordan, and we had other operators,” Trump said, according to CBS News. He added that the U.S. has “the best equipment in the world” and had stopped nearly everything, but said relying on others “sometimes” does not work out well.

Trump did not say who the “other operators” were or what responsibilities they had for protecting U.S. forces in Jordan, CBS News reported.

Iran’s missiles are changing the fight

The Pentagon acknowledged Monday, after CBS News obtained the figures, that nearly 100 U.S. service members had been hurt in Iranian strikes on bases across the Middle East this month. CBS News reported that tally did not include the latest Jordan attacks that killed two soldiers and wounded dozens.

Jordanian Lt. Gen. Qasid Mahmoud, a retired former deputy chief of staff of Jordan’s armed forces, told CBS News that Iran has improved its missile capabilities and is mixing drones with missile fire to pressure radar systems.

Mahmoud said Iranian forces use less advanced missiles to draw attention from radar crews, then launch higher-quality weapons that can shift their target in the final 30 or 40 kilometers. He told CBS News that late change in flight path makes interception harder.

Iranian state TV aired video on July 21 that it described as showing Iranian drones and missiles being launched at U.S. military installations in the Persian Gulf and other Middle Eastern countries, CBS News reported.

Jordan has generally drawn fewer Iranian attacks than U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf, including Kuwait and Bahrain, according to CBS News. U.S. bases in those countries are heavily defended, and Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet while Kuwait hosts about 13,000 U.S. personnel across more than half a dozen bases.

CBS News reported that Iranian weapons have still reached targets in Bahrain, including earlier strikes that destroyed a radar installation.

Jordan’s government has been cautious about publicly acknowledging the U.S. military presence. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said U.S. forces do not have permanent bases in Jordan and operate under joint agreements, according to CBS News.

The two U.S. soldiers killed Friday were identified by CBS News as Private Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, Texas, and First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan of Hawaii. Both were serving with Army Air Missile Defense Command, units tasked with operating air defense systems.

This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.