The situation in the Middle East has escalated to a critical point. On July 18, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officially announced a large-scale missile and drone attack on the Al-Azrak American airbase in Jordan. Tehran claims to have struck key infrastructure, including fighter hangars and aircraft parking areas.
According to a statement from the Iranian military department published in the media, the strike "completely destroyed at least two American fighter jets," while many others sustained serious damage. In its statement, the IRGC also called on Jordanian military forces to attack American troops stationed in the country, labeling foreign soldiers as "legitimate targets."
Satellite Evidence and Contradictory Data
Official confirmation from Washington or Amman is currently absent. However, the Iranian news agency Tasnim published a series of high-resolution satellite images on July 17 showing the state of King Faisal Airbase before and after the alleged strike.
The images clearly show destruction in three different areas of the base. Iranian sources claim that missiles hit residential areas for American military personnel. However, independent analysts from the Middle East monitoring center EGYOSINT offer a different interpretation: it is more likely that warehouses, hangars, and barracks were hit.
Experts from the analytical account MenchOsint, specializing in open-source intelligence (OSINT), noted the destruction of one of the new facilities, the construction of which, according to their data, began in May 2026. Analysts also expressed concern that there could be casualties at the base, as it appears that soldiers were not evacuated before the attack began.
Pentagon Silence and Eyewitness Accounts
While Jordan claims to have successfully intercepted Iranian missiles, Iranian media circulated videos recorded by local residents. The footage shows four ballistic missiles falling into the King Faisal airfield area. The video shows air defense systems, presumably Patriot complexes, opening fire but failing to shoot down all targets.
CBS News, citing unnamed American officials, reported that Iran attacked at least two bases in Jordan this week, resulting in injuries to several American service members. Details of the injuries and the exact names of the bases are not disclosed. The Pentagon and the Jordanian military command are currently maintaining silence and are not commenting on the situation.
Strikes on the UAE and Increased Accuracy of Iranian Missiles
The escalation has affected not only Jordan. On July 16, the Australian mapping platform Soar published satellite images of the Zayed military base in the United Arab Emirates. The photos show three completely destroyed structures, presumably military warehouses.
The analytical portal AMK Mapping links this destruction to a missile strike launched by Iran on July 13. Experts note that each building was hit by a single missile, indicating high accuracy. This may suggest that Iran has significantly improved its medium-range ballistic missiles, which in the past often missed their targets. UAE representatives have not yet provided official comments regarding the satellite data.
