Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base on Friday. The base, outside Riyadh and shared by Saudi and U.S. forces, was struck; at least 12 U.S. service members were wounded, including several in serious condition, reports said. A U.S. official, not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR that some aircraft were apparently damaged. Iran released Chinese satellite photos it says show burning aircraft at the base, claiming one tanker used for in-flight refueling was destroyed and three others damaged.
Since the war began a month ago, Iran has targeted U.S. service members at bases across the region in retaliation for U.S. attacks and to pressure Washington to withdraw forces. The Pentagon has put the overall U.S. casualty toll at 13 killed and more than 300 injured.
The attack on Prince Sultan comes as the conflict hits the one-month mark and as the Israeli military announced it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel. Below are updates on Day 29 of the war.
Strikes on Israel and Iran continue
Strikes were reported in Israel early Saturday, with eight impact sites in Tel Aviv, including at a university. One person was killed and two were injured. Iranians also reported strikes on multiple industrial production facilities amid continuing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Residents who bypassed an internet blackout sent videos to diaspora sites showing strikes on steel and cement factories across southern and central Iran, including in Isfahan.
Earlier Friday, Israel said it struck a heavy water reactor in Iran, which it described as part of Iran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure. Iran has fired back, striking targets in Israel and neighboring Gulf countries. Bahrain and the UAE said they intercepted Iranian drones overnight, and a worker in Oman was injured by a drone.
Houthis enter the war
Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel, the first time during the Iran war that Israel has faced fire from that country. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. The Houthis control much of Yemen, including Sanaa and western regions, and have previously attacked vessels in the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas conflict. From November 2023 to January 2025 they attacked more than 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones, disrupting shipping through the western Arabian Peninsula.
Israeli troops move northward into Lebanon
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut continued overnight. Israel says it is intensifying operations and moving thousands of troops north across the border to fight Hezbollah militants, aiming to take territory up to Lebanon’s Litani River and ordering residents out of zones beyond that. Lebanese health officials report the invasion has displaced about a fifth of the country’s population and killed more than 1,100 people; thousands more are fleeing and some are sheltering in a soccer stadium in southern Beirut.
Israel has bombed highways, bridges, homes and gas stations. The Israeli military released footage of a senior commander with troops in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah released video it says shows a guided missile striking an Israeli tank. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been engaged across the border; Israel says it has killed several members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps inside Lebanon, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry says six Iranian diplomats have been killed there.
A third of Iran’s missiles destroyed, U.S. says
The U.S. administration has said it is making progress against Iran’s missile capabilities. An anonymous U.S. official told NPR the U.S. has been able to confirm the elimination of roughly one-third of Iran’s missile capabilities, an assessment first reported by Reuters. Iran’s missile program includes factories that produce weapons, launchers that fire them, and the missiles themselves. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. aims to destroy Iran’s ability to make missiles and drones in their factories and drastically reduce missile launchers so they cannot be used to support a nuclear threat. U.S. military officials say Iranian missile attacks have dropped significantly since the war’s early days, though missiles and drones remain Iran’s most effective weapons.
Rubio, G7 and the Strait of Hormuz
After meeting with G7 foreign ministers in France, Rubio said the war “is not going to be a prolonged conflict” and suggested objectives could be met without ground troops. The G7 issued a joint statement calling for an immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure and for restoring safe, toll-free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively blocked much shipping through the strait during the war; about one-fifth of global oil typically passes through that narrow waterway. Rubio warned Iran might try to set up a toll system in the strait. His remarks came as thousands of U.S. Marines and Army troops were being sent to the Middle East.
Contributors
Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Beirut, Greg Myre and Alex Leff in Washington, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Miguel Macias in Seville contributed to this report.
