The Middle East’s latest flashpoint arrived on July 9, 2026, when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired between 10 and 12 ballistic missiles at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan. The base, also known as Prince Hassan Air Base, hosts F-35 fighter aircraft and serves as a hub for joint US-Jordanian military operations. Iran framed the strike as direct retaliation for US military operations against Iranian sites the previous two days.
Jordan’s air defenses intercepted eight of the incoming missiles. Jordanian authorities reported no confirmed casualties and no significant damage at the base, though the targeting of F-35 shelters and command-and-control centers signals that Iran’s military planners knew exactly what they were aiming at.
How we got here
The immediate trigger was a series of US Central Command strikes on July 7 and 8 against Iranian military positions. Those strikes themselves followed months of escalating friction that had, briefly, looked like it might cool off.
A ceasefire between the two sides ended on July 8, and within hours the IRGC was loading missiles.
