The U.S. military has identified two soldiers killed in action last week as part of the ongoing war with Iran. The Defense Department announced Monday that 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, died in Jordan.
Both soldiers were supporting a U.S. mission against the Islamic State group in Jordan. The specific circumstances of their deaths remain unclear, but U.S. Central Command stated Saturday that two service members were killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.
These recent fatalities bring the total number of U.S. deaths in the conflict to 17, according to military figures. The war, which began on Feb. 28, highlights the risks American forces face across the Middle East, even when not directly stationed in Iran. The conflict involves drones, missiles, and aircraft, with American forces positioned throughout the region, making other nations potential targets for Iran as diplomatic efforts have stalled.
The conflict has resulted in a series of casualties for U.S. forces. In late February, an Iranian drone strike on a civilian port in Kuwait killed six American soldiers. The following week, a seventh soldier died after being wounded in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Later in March, six service members perished when a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in Iraq under unspecified circumstances involving another aircraft.
More recently, on Saturday, a U.S. Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea, which was initially described as an emergency landing with no indication of hostile action. Three other sailors were rescued. The latest death occurred Saturday in northern Iraq when a service member was killed during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone. A second service member sustained minor injuries in that incident.
The conflict's toll is not limited to U.S. personnel. Iranian authorities report at least 50 people killed and over 500 wounded in U.S. strikes over the past three weeks. Additionally, individuals working on ships, foreign workers, and residents in Gulf nations, Israel, and Lebanon have also been casualties of the escalating conflict.