At least 15 American soldiers have been wounded after Iran launched an attack on an airbase in Saudi Arabia, according to news reports, as the conflict started by Israel and the United States enters its second month.
The attack on Friday on the Prince Sultan Air Base included at least six ballistic missiles and 29 drones, according to The Associated Press.
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Five of the injured US troops are in “serious condition”, AP reported, citing unnamed sources briefed on the strikes.
The soldiers were inside a building at the base when it was struck, according to The Wall Street Journal. An unidentified US official told Reuters news agency at least 12 troops were wounded, two seriously.
In a video statement on Saturday, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s central military headquarters, said the Iranian attack left one of the refuelling aircraft “completely destroyed”, while three others were also damaged and put out of service.
Satellite images published by Iran’s English-language news channel Press TV showed the destruction of several aircraft at the airbase following the Iranian strikes. It came under attack twice earlier this week, including an earlier incident that wounded 14 US soldiers.
About 96km (60 miles) from the Saudi capital Riyadh, the base is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force but is also used by American forces.
Iran has kept up retaliatory attacks on Gulf nations it accuses of serving as a launchpad for US strikes on the country, which began in a joint assault with Israel on February 28.
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Meanwhile, one of the latest US-Israeli strikes on Iran late on Friday reportedly targeted the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
The strike – the third in 10 days – did not cause any material damage and there were no casualties, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. It said no technical disruption was reported at the site.
Saudi Arabia has previously intercepted several missiles fired near the base. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately comment.
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basrawi, reporting from Dubai, said there’s not much transparency about the Iranian strikes.
“But you get a sense of how serious of an attack this is by just looking at the number of injuries,” he said, noting the base typically hosts 2,000 to 3,000 US soldiers, mostly involved in missile defence systems and logistic support.
“Since the war began we have seen that this base has been consistently targeted. This could be another serious incident that could set off more criticism of the US administration.”
At least 13 US military service members have been killed since the war on Iran started, with seven killed in the Gulf and six in Iraq. More than 300 American troops have been wounded.
Iran’s government has not released an updated casualty toll, but the US-based activist group HRANA said on March 23 that 1,167 Iranian soldiers have been killed, while the status of 658 troops is unknown.
On Saturday, Iran’s military has also said it targeted a US support vessel near the port of Salalah in Oman, but did not provide details.
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