Multiple US military aircraft were damaged after Iran launched a ballistic-missile barrage at the US-used Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan overnight on September 8-9, according to people with direct knowledge cited by CBS News.
Around eight F-15 fighter jets sustained light damage but were later returned to service, while an A-10 Thunderbolt II reportedly lost a wing. Jordan said it intercepted 18 of 20 Iranian ballistic missiles and that the remaining two landed in unpopulated areas, with no casualties reported from the barrage.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted the US base in retaliation for Washington’s destruction of five Iranian oil tankers. The US, meanwhile, said those strikes came after Iranian ballistic-missile attacks on a US Navy warship. More than 30 Patriot interceptor missiles were reportedly fired by US forces in Jordan during the latest attack.
Aircraft Hit Despite Defences
The reported damage marks a significant development in the ongoing US-Iran conflict, as Iranian missiles appear to have reached aircraft positioned at a key US military facility despite layered air defences. CBS News reported that an A-10 Thunderbolt, commonly known as the “Warthog”, was struck and lost a wing, while roughly eight F-15s suffered lighter damage.
People familiar with the incident told CBS News that the F-15s were subsequently returned to service. Air & Space Forces Magazine separately reported that the affected aircraft were F-15E Strike Eagles and described them as serviceable after the attack.
The attack also highlights the scale of the defensive response. CBS News reported that US forces in Jordan fired more than 30 Patriot missiles as they attempted to intercept the incoming barrage. Jordan’s military said its own air-defence systems intercepted 18 of the 20 ballistic missiles launched towards its territory, while two fell in unpopulated areas. The Jordanian Armed Forces said there were no casualties and urged residents to stay away from missile fragments and other unidentified debris.
The conflicting descriptions of the strike are also notable. Iran’s IRGC claimed it had struck maintenance, preparation and deployment sites for F-15, F-16 and F-35 aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti and said the operation inflicted “heavy damage”.
However, the extent of damage publicly established so far is more limited, with the US aircraft losses reported by CBS and Air & Space Forces Magazine consisting mainly of the damaged A-10 and eight lightly damaged F-15s.
From Tanker Strikes To Retaliation
The missile attack came after a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran. On September 8, the US Central Command said American forces destroyed five Iranian crude-oil carriers after the IRGC twice attempted to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. CENTCOM said the warship successfully evaded the attacks and that no American personnel were harmed. The US military said the tankers were part of an Iranian network that helped fund the IRGC and its regional proxies.
Iran subsequently announced retaliatory operations against US-linked targets, including the base in Jordan. The IRGC also claimed attacks against ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest exchange has widened the conflict beyond direct US-Iranian military positions, with Iran-backed Houthi forces also launching attacks on southern Saudi Arabia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was watching those developments closely and described the Houthis as “agents and proxies” of Iran, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei rejected that characterisation, saying the Houthis were independent and acted on their own decisions.
Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, near Al-Azraq in eastern Jordan, has become an important location in the conflict because it hosts US military personnel and aircraft. The base has faced Iranian attacks before. Three US Army soldiers were killed in an Iranian strike on the facility in July, according to the Pentagon. The latest incident therefore comes against a backdrop of repeated attacks on a site that has become central to US military operations in the region.
The latest strike also raises concerns about the sustainability of the US air-defence effort. With more than 30 Patriot interceptors reportedly fired in Jordan during the attack, the incident comes as US officials have expressed concern about declining stocks of Patriot missiles and other precision-guided weapons. Meanwhile, the broader conflict is already affecting energy markets, with oil prices moving sharply higher amid concerns over disruptions around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The reported damage to US aircraft is another reminder that there are no easy winners when military escalation becomes a cycle of retaliation. Behind every missile intercepted or aircraft damaged are people whose lives, safety and futures can be affected by decisions taken far from the battlefield. Jordan, despite not being a direct party to the US-Iran confrontation, is increasingly finding itself caught between competing military interests, while civilians across the region face the consequences of prolonged instability.
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