Ten U.S. service members were injured in an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News. Sources said the strike involved Iranian-fired missiles and drones. Two Americans were very seriously injured and eight were seriously injured under the military’s injury classification.
A U.S. Central Command spokesperson said more than 300 American service members have been wounded in action since the start of the U.S.-Iran war, with most having returned to duty. Since the war began, 13 U.S. service members have been killed: one who was wounded in an earlier attack on Prince Sultan and later died from his injuries; six killed in an Iranian strike on a U.S. facility in Kuwait hours after the war began; and six killed in a crash of a U.S. refueling aircraft over Iraq.
Over the last four weeks, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against U.S.-allied Gulf states, including sites with American forces such as Prince Sultan, which is about 60 miles from Riyadh. The base is operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force and is used by the U.S. Air Force’s 378th Air Expeditionary Wing.
A person familiar with the matter told CBS News Prince Sultan was also hit in a separate attack earlier this week that injured 14 people; the person did not disclose those injured’ nationalities. A U.S. official said that earlier attack was less grave than the later strike.
The most recent attack underscores concerns about a shortage of missile interceptors in the region as the conflict nears the one-month mark. Arab states and U.S. allies have warned they are running low on interceptors and have been forced to prioritize which incoming threats to engage, U.S. officials and allied partners have said.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.