An Iranian missile attack damaged multiple US military aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan this week, according to a US official cited by Reuters on Thursday.
The official said one A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly known as the Warthog, was struck and lost a wing. Around eight F-15 fighter jets also sustained minor damage but were subsequently returned to service.
The official was confirming an earlier CBS report that several US fighter aircraft had been damaged in the Iranian attack.
The strike took place Tuesday, after US forces reported destroying five Iranian crude oil tankers in retaliation for two ballistic missile attacks by Iran's Revolutionary Guards against a US Navy warship over the preceding two days.
According to the US official, American forces launched approximately 30 Patriot interceptors to defend against the Iranian missiles.
Reuters, citing the Congressional Research Service, also reported that by May, 42 US military aircraft had been lost or damaged during the conflict. Since the war began in February, 18 US service members have been killed and more than 800 wounded, according to the report.
The report also cited a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimate that roughly 65% of US Patriot interceptors were used between February and July. That would leave fewer than 850 interceptors out of the 2,330 available before the war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington would continue responding to Iranian attacks on US naval forces while maintaining its economic pressure campaign against Tehran.
Speaking to reporters in Ecuador, Rubio said, "They continue to fire on naval ships, and when they fire at our naval ships, they pay a price in tankers. They don’t hit our ships, but they lose five tankers."
Referring to Tuesday's strikes, Rubio added, "They lost five more last night. Four were damaged, and one was sunk. They'll continue to pay a price for that. In the meantime, we're going to continue to strangle them economically."