Overnight ballistic missile attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base leaves one A-10 with severe wing damage and eight F-15s with light damage, as regional conflict intensifies.
An Iranian ballistic missile attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan overnight on September 8-9 damaged several US military aircraft, including one A-10 Thunderbolt II and approximately eight F-15 fighter jets, according to US media reports citing sources familiar with the matter.
CBS News correspondent Jennifer Jacobs reported that one A-10, known as the Warthog, was struck and left with a missing or severely damaged wing, while roughly eight F-15s sustained light damage and were returned to service. Air & Space Forces Magazine similarly described an A-10 with a severely damaged wing and around eight F-15E Strike Eagles that remained serviceable.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reported aircraft damage. American officials indicated no US personnel were killed in the latest strikes on the base.
Jordan Intercepts 18 Missiles in Iranian Attack:
Jordan’s Armed Forces said its air defences engaged 20 ballistic missiles fired toward Jordanian territory, destroying 18 of them. The remaining two fell in unpopulated areas, and field assessments recorded no casualties, according to a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as a retaliatory operation. The IRGC said its forces targeted maintenance, preparation and deployment sites as well as shelters for US fighter jets at the base, asserting that the strikes inflicted heavy damage. The base, also known as Al-Azraq, hosts US military assets and personnel and has been a repeated target in the ongoing exchanges.
US Aircraft Damaged in Iranian Strike on Jordan Air Base:
The strike came amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between the United States and Iran. US forces had earlier targeted Iranian oil tankers in the region, prompting Iranian retaliation against American and allied positions. American forces at the base reportedly launched more than 30 Patriot interceptor missiles during the defence.
Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, located near Azraq in Jordan’s Zarqa governorate, has served as a key hub for US air operations. Previous Iranian attacks on the facility earlier in the conflict caused casualties and damage to infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of defending fixed bases against ballistic missile barrages.
The latest reported damage to US aircraft, while limited according to available accounts, highlights the continuing risks to military assets stationed in the region as both sides exchange strikes. Neither Washington nor Tehran has indicated any immediate de-escalation, leaving the potential for further retaliation open.