Summary paragraph and context
Iran carried out a missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia that wounded at least 10 U.S. service members and damaged U.S. aircraft at the installation, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the situation. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, said two of the wounded troops were seriously hurt. They also said the strike affected several U.S. refueling aircraft.
The attack came as the Trump administration publicly characterized the wider conflict with Iran in sweeping terms and as U.S. commanders tracked injuries among American personnel in the monthlong fighting. The United States Central Command earlier Friday said more than 300 U.S. service members had been wounded in the conflict, with most recovering and returning to duty. It added that 30 remained out of action and 10 were considered seriously wounded.
The officials said the attack involved an Iranian missile as well as drones and targeted Prince Sultan Air Base, a site that has been hit before. The base previously came under attack on March 1, when Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was wounded and later died days afterward. Pennington was among 13 service members who have been killed in the war, according to the AP report.
In the hours after the Friday strike, satellite imagery that appeared to show damage to aircraft was posted online, and the attack was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Pentagon and U.S. military officials also continued to calibrate their response as the administration discussed potential ways to limit the fighting.
The report described that the Trump administration had offered a 15-point plan for a possible ceasefire to Iran, with Pakistan as an intermediary. Iran denied that negotiations were taking place, but the report said Iran also told officials it agreed to facilitate humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route.
While diplomacy was being discussed, the report said the Pentagon was preparing to send at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days. It also said two Marine units were being deployed, which would add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.
Despite the deployments, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States could meet its objectives without ground troops. Rubio told reporters after the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in France that the United States “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops,” according to the AP account.
The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base added to a pattern of Iranian actions against U.S. assets in the theater, as American officials said the missile-and-drone strike damaged aircraft and produced new casualties among U.S. service members at the Saudi location.