Texas Teen Among Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iranian Attack on Jordan Base
Two U.S. service members were killed and a third was reported missing after Iranian missiles and drones struck a military base in Jordan, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday.
The Pentagon has identified two U.S. Army soldiers killed during an Iranian missile and drone attack on a military base in Jordan, including a 19-year-old soldier from North Texas.
Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, were killed after Iranian forces attacked Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. Gonzales was killed Friday, while Feehan died Saturday, according to the Defense Department.
The Pentagon did not release details about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Gonzales was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade and 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany.
Feehan was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Feehan is expected to be posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He was also weeks away from receiving a Master of Business Administration from Southern Utah University.
Soldiers Were Supporting Mission Against ISIS
Although the soldiers were killed during an Iranian attack, the Pentagon said they were deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led mission against ISIS that began in 2014.
They were not officially assigned to Operation Epic Fury, the Pentagon’s name for the current military campaign against Iran.
President Donald Trump nevertheless connected their deaths to the broader effort to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Those great patriots were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also honored the fallen soldiers in a brief social media statement.
“Godspeed, heroes,” Hegseth wrote. “Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
Human Remains Found During Search for Missing Service Member
A third American service member remains missing following the attack.
U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that military personnel had recovered unidentified human remains while searching the site of the Jordan strike. Officials are examining the remains to determine whether they belong to the missing service member.
Four other service members were evacuated to hospitals in Jordan following the attack but were later discharged. Other personnel treated for minor injuries have returned to duty.
Another American service member was killed in a separate incident in northern Iraq involving an Iranian drone, raising the number of U.S. military personnel killed since the war began Feb. 28 to 17. More than 420 American troops have reportedly been wounded.
The deaths of Gonzales and Feehan marked the first American troop fatalities caused directly by Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.
Hegseth Says Deaths Will Strengthen U.S. Resolve
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth honored the service members in a brief statement posted to social media.
“Godspeed, heroes,” Hegseth wrote. “Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
Godspeed, heroes.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) July 18, 2026
Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve. https://t.co/GIcfNdAol0
The fatalities were announced as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified following the collapse of an interim ceasefire agreement. The two countries resumed attacks after negotiations reached another impasse, raising concerns that the conflict could return to the broader fighting seen earlier this year.
U.S. Central Command said American forces carried out an eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran following the attack. The latest U.S. operations targeted Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities and maritime capabilities.
Fighting Intensifies After Ceasefire Collapse
The attack came as fighting between the United States and Iran intensified following the collapse of an interim ceasefire agreement.
U.S. Central Command responded with continued strikes against Iranian surveillance locations, logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities and maritime capabilities.
CENTCOM launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28 under orders from the president. The command says the operation is intended to dismantle portions of Iran’s security and military infrastructure considered an immediate threat.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the attack in Jordan. Iranian state media asserted that the strike damaged the base and destroyed several American aircraft, but those claims have not been independently confirmed.
Iran has also launched missiles and drones toward American military locations and U.S. allies across the region, including sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iranian officials said at least 50 people were killed and more than 500 wounded during recent U.S. strikes. The broader conflict has also killed civilians, foreign workers and people aboard commercial vessels while disrupting communities and shipping routes throughout the Middle East.
