US Death Toll Rises to 17 in Iran Conflict

The U.S. military confirmed that two American soldiers were killed during an Iranian missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan overnight Friday. The victims are identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.

The strike occurred at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base where U.S. forces have been supporting missions against ISIS. One additional service member is missing following the attack while four others were medically evacuated but later discharged according to CENTCOM. The military has withheld further information out of respect for the families' privacy.

The deaths bring to 17 the total number of American service members killed in the conflict with Iran, with over 420 wounded. This latest incident reflects a broader escalation in the Middle East following breakdowns in negotiations and a ceasefire's end according to multiple sources including Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and HuffPost.

In response to these attacks, President Donald Trump ordered retaliatory U.S. airstrikes against Iran on Saturday evening. According to The Guardian, the strikes targeted Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and punished Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces responsible for the Jordan attack. Iran's Mehr news agency reported no casualties or damage from these strikes.

International observers have condemned the escalating attacks with warnings about potential international law violations according to The Guardian. The Gulf Cooperation Council labeled recent Iranian attacks on neighboring countries as war crimes and dangerous escalations while U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert due to heightened Middle East tensions. Additionally, Iran has reported at least 50 people killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes in the past three weeks.

The Pentagon's official online list of service members killed in the ongoing Iran war does not include the four soldiers who died during renewed fighting over the weekend according to The Guardian. According to a New York Times report cited by The Guardian, the Pentagon website listed 18 American service members as having been killed during the war on Iran on Wednesday, but was changed on Thursday to exclude three service members killed last Friday, Saturday and Sunday as Iran retaliated for new US strikes with an attack on a base used by US forces in Jordan. Three military officials told the Times that 'one reason behind the change was that the Trump administration decided to remove four service members killed this past weekend from the list.'

The latest exclusive Daily Mail/JL Partners poll shows only 32 percent of voters approve of the President's handling of the war with Iran according to dailymail.com. The President's approval rating currently stands at 44 percent, slightly down from 47 percent in mid-June after a peace deal framework was announced.

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday, honoring four U.S. Army soldiers killed in the Middle East during ongoing war with Iran according to CBS News. The service members killed were: Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii; Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas; Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of New York; and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina.