New American information reveals part of the human and military cost that the Pentagon tried to keep out of public opinion, after it became clear that American forces in Jordan were subjected to 4 Iranian attacks within 5 days, which resulted in the death of two soldiers, the loss of a third, and the injury of dozens, in addition to the damage to a number of helicopters.
According to a report by journalist Eli Leon in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, based on the New York Times, during the week preceding the bloody Iranian attack in Jordan last Friday, Tehran carried out 3 additional attacks against American forces deployed in the country.
These attacks resulted in the injury of dozens of soldiers and damage to a number of helicopters, but the Pentagon chose not to disclose them, and withheld information regarding the extent of the injuries and the damage resulting from them.
The fourth attack came on Friday, resulting in the death of two American soldiers, while another soldier was declared missing.
These data highlight the tension surrounding the management of information related to the war with Iran, which has been going on for about 5 months. At a time when the American military establishment justifies withholding information by the need to maintain operational secrecy, questions are increasing regarding the administration’s responsibility to provide a true picture to public opinion about the developments of the battle and its cost.
In statements issued by US Central Command following the retaliatory strikes carried out last week, the operations were presented as a response to the targeting of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, without any reference to direct attacks targeting US bases in Jordan.
A US military official explained that Central Command is not obligated to release information about infected soldiers, especially when they quickly return to duty.
Another official wondered why the Pentagon would provide information that could help Iran direct its missiles and drones more accurately toward American bases in the Middle East.
For the same reason, US Central Command stopped announcing the number of targets being bombed daily inside Iran.
Since the collapse of the ceasefire, only very limited information has been provided about the US strategy, while the last significant military briefing was held last May.
At the same time, the administration of US President Donald Trump declined to reveal the extent to which the battle had depleted vital weapons stocks, or how Iran had succeeded in rebuilding part of its missile capabilities.
The issue of human losses remains one of the most sensitive issues, as the martyrdom of the two soldiers in Friday’s attack raised the number of American soldiers who were killed to 16, since the United States and Israel began their attack on February 28.
Pentagon procedures prohibit publishing the names of fallen soldiers before 24 hours have passed after informing their families, while the names of the injured are not published at all.
In a statement issued by the US Central Command on Saturday, it was announced that 4 people injured in Friday’s attack were taken to hospitals before leaving, while others suffered minor injuries, without specifying their number or providing any clarification regarding the injuries resulting from the three previous attacks.
In an interview with NewsNation, Trump stressed that the two soldiers fell “in the service of the country,” reiterating that the primary goal of the operations is “not to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
For his part, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the loss of the two soldiers will strengthen the United States’ determination and determination to continue the mission.
However, Central Command data indicates that more than 400 American soldiers have been injured since the start of the confrontation.
The Pentagon had previously announced the number of injured people who had returned to service, but it finally stopped publishing this information completely, in a shift from the approach followed by the administration of former President Joe Biden, which regularly provided data on those injured in attacks by armed groups in Syria and Iraq.
Thus, the battle is no longer limited to the exchange of missiles and strikes between Washington and Tehran, but rather has expanded into a parallel battle over numbers and information, while the facts gradually reveal that the true cost of the war is much greater than what appeared in the official Pentagon statements.
