**Title: Iran Acknowledges Jordanian Support in Attacks on US Forces**
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has publicly thanked Jordanian civilians and military personnel for their alleged assistance in providing intelligence that facilitated recent attacks on US military forces stationed in Jordan. This acknowledgment comes in a statement released by the IRGC and reported by the Tasnim news agency on Monday.
According to the IRGC, ballistic missiles were launched targeting US C-17 military transport aircraft and P-8 command-and-control planes located at Aqaba Airport in southern Jordan. The Iranian military claimed that these strikes resulted in "heavy damage" to several aircraft.
The IRGC's statement highlighted the role of Jordanian informants in enabling Iranian forces to accurately identify US military assets. It specifically noted that Jordanian support was instrumental in targeting 20 hangars in the Al-Azraq area during a prior attack, asserting that these facilities were destroyed and that numerous American personnel were killed. This assertion raises concerns about the security of US operations in a region where Jordan has traditionally been viewed as a reliable ally.
In expressing gratitude, the IRGC referred to the “honorable people and courageous military personnel of Jordan” for their “sincere cooperation and precise information.” The statement concluded with a call to action for Muslims globally, urging them to target American military personnel, accusing the US of invading multiple Muslim countries and supporting military operations in Palestinian territories.
The US government has acknowledged that an Iranian attack on one of its military facilities in Jordan resulted in the deaths of two American service members, with one individual reported missing and several others injured. However, the US has not confirmed the extent of damage at Aqaba Airport or the higher casualty figures claimed by Iran.
In recent weeks, Iran has intensified its military operations against US forces, reportedly conducting near-daily missile and drone strikes on military installations across several countries in the region, including Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, and Syria. This escalation is viewed as a response to what Iran describes as an unprovoked US-Israeli war against it, which has resumed following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire earlier this month.
US officials have expressed concerns regarding the effectiveness of Iranian missiles, noting that their speed and maneuverability have made them increasingly capable of breaching American air defenses. Reports from American media outlets indicate that the recent attacks have resulted in injuries to dozens of service members and damage to multiple helicopters.
Prior to the escalation of conflict, the Pentagon had reportedly relocated some troops and aircraft from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to Jordan and Israel, assessing these locations as less vulnerable due to their greater distance from Iran.
As tensions continue to rise in the region, the implications of Jordan's alleged involvement in supporting Iranian military operations against US forces could have significant ramifications for US-Jordan relations and the broader geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.