Jordan repels Iranian missile attack with 18 interceptions

Jordanian air defences intercepted 18 Iranian ballistic missiles launched toward the kingdom, the Jordanian Armed Forces said on Wednesday, September 9.

According to the military, Iran launched a total of 20 missiles. The remaining two fell in unpopulated areas, and no casualties were reported. Specialised teams were deployed to secure the sites where missile debris fell.

The attack followed a statement by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming that its forces had struck U.S. troops at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base near Al-Azraq in Jordan. The IRGC said its missiles had hit facilities used to service F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter aircraft. The claim of damage at the base has not been independently verified. Reuters reported that a U.S. official described the Iranian strikes as ineffective and said all American personnel were accounted for.

The IRGC said the attack was carried out in retaliation for U.S. strikes on five Iranian oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The U.S. military said the tankers were destroyed after the IRGC had twice targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles.

By Tamilla Hasanova