An Iranian attack using missiles and drones hit a US military base in Jordan on Friday, killing three American soldiers, according to Al Jazeera's July 22 report. At least 25 more soldiers were wounded, and one is missing. The US military confirmed that Iran launched the attack with ballistic missiles — powerful weapons that travel through space before slamming down on a target — and drones against the base, which sits near the border with Syria.

This is the first time American soldiers have been killed by Iranian strikes on a US military base since March 1, 2026, when the current war between the US (alongside Israel) and Iran began. On that first day, seven US soldiers died in coordinated Iranian attacks on bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. According to Al Jazeera's July 22 count, the total number of US military deaths in the conflict is now 18. That includes the seven killed on March 1, six airmen who died in an accidental refueling crash not caused by enemy fire, a sergeant killed in Iraq while safely detonating a downed drone, and the three soldiers lost in Friday's attack in Jordan. About 500 US soldiers have been wounded since the war started, with nearly 100 of those injuries happening in just the last two weeks, according to a Washington Post report from July 20. Around 220 US military buildings and pieces of equipment have been damaged or destroyed in that same period.

The attack in Jordan happened two weeks after a ceasefire — an agreement to stop fighting — between the US and Iran fell apart on July 8, 2026. The Pentagon had not released full details of the Jordan attack as of Al Jazeera's July 22 report. Earlier reports from Reuters and NPR on July 18 said two people had died, with NPR noting that US and allied forces defended the base against the incoming wave of weapons. The Jordanian military said it shot down some incoming threats, and sirens warned people across the area. By July 19, ILTV reported it was a drone strike near the Syrian border. CBS News raised questions on July 20 about whether the base's defensive systems — which are supposed to shoot down incoming missiles — failed during the attack. The Pentagon has not yet publicly addressed how well those defenses performed.

The US responded with new airstrikes on Iran, according to Reuters and NPR on July 18. As of July 21, US forces had completed an 11th straight night of strikes against Iran, CENTCOM reported. This follows earlier rounds of strikes, including one finished on July 12 and another around June 27, which came after Iran attacked a commercial ship. An Iranian ship also had a run-in with a US Navy destroyer on April 19. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said after the Jordan attack that losing the soldiers "only stiffens our resolve." A CENTCOM report claims the US has damaged or destroyed over 85 percent of Iran's ability to build missiles, drones, and naval defenses, through more than 1,450 strikes on Iranian weapons factories.

The broader context here is that US forces are in a tough spot. About 50,000 American military personnel are stationed at fixed bases that are within reach of Iran's missiles and drones, according to Andreas Krieg, a defense expert at King's College London. Many of these troops live and work in buildings that were built to protect against smaller weapons like rockets and roadside bombs — not large, precision-guided missiles. It is a bit like wearing a raincoat in a hailstorm. Jennifer Kavanagh, a military analyst at the Defense Priorities think tank, said Iran's military capabilities remain strong and have been rebuilt faster than expected after being damaged. She also said Iran's attacks are getting more accurate over time, probably with help from Russian and Chinese intelligence. Iran has developed missiles and drones that can approach targets from different angles and at different speeds, which makes them harder to stop.

The big picture is that the US has carried out a massive, ongoing bombing campaign against Iran's weapons infrastructure. And yet Iran still managed to hit a US base, kill three soldiers, get past multiple layers of air defenses, and leave another service member unaccounted for. The defensive failures that CBS News pointed out will likely lead to harder questions about whether current defenses can handle Iran's increasingly varied and precise weapons. With the ceasefire broken and US strikes now in their 11th straight night, the conflict is heading toward deeper fighting, not toward peace. The confirmed deaths and the missing soldier add pressure on Washington to do more than it already is. How the US changes its military positions and defenses at bases across the region in the coming weeks will be an important signal of what comes next.