Twelve U.S. Soldiers Wounded in Iranian Missile and Drone Strike on Saudi Air Base

An Iranian missile and drone strike wounded 12 American soldiers, two of them seriously, at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, March 27, 2026, according to a U.S. official who spoke to Reuters. The attack also damaged several American refueling aircraft stationed at the base. The strike came just one day after U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth publicly declared that Iranian military forces had been completely destroyed. The timing of the attack directly contradicted that assessment, raising immediate questions about the actual state of Iran's military capabilities. 12 (soldiers) — U.S. personnel wounded in March 27 strike

Refueling aircraft damaged as drones hit the base The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base involved both a missile and unmanned drones, according to reporting by Reuters and confirmed by a U.S. official cited in the source article. Several American refueling aircraft sustained damage during the strike, potentially affecting U.S. operational capacity in the region. The base, located in Al Kharj in central Saudi Arabia, has served as a significant hub for American air operations during the ongoing conflict with Iran. The involvement of both ballistic or cruise missile systems and drone platforms suggests a coordinated strike rather than a single-vector attack. Two of the 12 wounded soldiers were described as being in serious condition, according to the U.S. official who spoke to Reuters.

Hegseth's "destroyed" claim undercut within 24 hours The strike landed one day after Pete Hegseth, referred to in the source article as Secretary of War but confirmed by the person registry as U.S. Secretary of Defense, declared Iranian military forces to be completely destroyed. „Iranian military forces had been completely destroyed” — Pete Hegseth via Mediafax.ro The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base directly challenged that characterization, demonstrating that Iran retained sufficient capability to launch a coordinated missile and drone assault against a major U.S. military installation. The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, has now produced at least 303 wounded American personnel in total, according to the source article. That figure underscores the sustained human cost of the campaign despite official U.S. statements about the degradation of Iranian forces.

Sergeant Pennington's death marked the base's deadly history Prince Sultan Air Base has now been struck by Iranian forces on multiple occasions since the conflict began. On March 1, 2026, Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, aged 26, was wounded at the same base during a previous Iranian attack and died a short time afterward. His death marked one of the earliest American fatalities directly linked to Iranian strikes on the base. The March 27 attack represents a continuation of Iran's targeting of the installation, suggesting the base remains a priority target for Iranian forces despite U.S. claims of having dismantled Iranian military capacity. 303 (U.S. personnel) — total wounded in conflict with Iran since February 28 The cumulative toll of at least 303 wounded American service members since the start of hostilities reflects the intensity of Iranian retaliatory operations across the region.

The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026. Ali Khamenei, Iran's longtime Supreme Leader, was killed in the initial strikes. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, has been used by American forces as a regional operational hub and has been targeted by Iran multiple times since the conflict began.