A US official confirmed that Iranian missiles significantly damaged several American military aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan overnight into Thursday, Reuters reported Thursday, despite President Donald Trump’s earlier denial that any US planes had been damaged.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, lost a wing in the attack, the official said. About eight F-15 jets were also damaged, but remained capable of flying. No American deaths were reported.
President Trump had said during a NewsNation interview Thursday that the Iranian attack caused no damage to US aircraft at the Jordanian base.
“Nope … None whatsoever. No damage. No nothing,” he said.
During the same interview, President Trump rejected a Wall Street Journal report citing White House officials who predicted that the war could continue beyond his term.
Asked by NewsNation about when the conflict would end, President Trump responded, “I don’t know that they’re gonna be able to hold out. But it’ll get settled after the elections. Or maybe sooner. But it’ll get settled right after the election.”
The Iranian attack came after US action against five Iranian crude carriers. US officials said that operation followed two incidents over the previous two days in which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at a US Navy vessel.
US forces used around 30 Patriot interceptors to defend the Jordanian base during the attack, according to Reuters.
The damage in Jordan comes amid broader US military losses since the war began in February. A Congressional Research Service assessment released in May found that 42 US aircraft had been damaged or destroyed.
Reuters has also reported the loss of more than 24 American drones. The war has killed 18 US service members and injured more than 800.
