Tel aviv: At least 12 US troops were wounded, two of them seriously, when Iran struck Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia with at least one missile and several drones. Yemen's Houthi rebels launched their first missiles at Israel since the war began, threatening to broaden a conflict now in its fifth week.
According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, the soldiers were inside a building at the base when it was struck, as reported by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed officials. Several aerial refueling planes also suffered damage. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately comment. Iran has maintained sustained retaliatory attacks on Persian Gulf nations it accuses of serving as launchpads for US strikes, which began in a joint operation with Israel on February 28. Thirteen Americans have been killed since the conflict began-seven in the Gulf and six in Iraq-with more than 300 others wounded. The US military stated that 273 of those had already returned to duty.
The Saudi strike was part of a broader wave of Iranian attacks across the region. Authorities in Bahrain reported extinguishing a fire at a targeted facility, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) indicated its defense teams were engaging Iranian missiles and drones early on March 28. Fires broke out in an Abu Dhabi industrial zone, injuring five people. Senior UAE official Yousef Al Otaiba wrote in The Wall Street Journal that a "simple cease-fire isn't enough," calling for a coordinated international effort to address Iran's nuclear capabilities, missiles, drones, and proxy forces. He stated that the UAE was prepared to join efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass in peacetime. Israel announced it was striking targets across Tehran in what has become an almost nightly operation and earlier targeted a uranium-processing facility and a heavy water reactor in central Iran. Iranian missiles struck six sites in and around Tel Aviv on March 27, killing one person.
As casualties mounted, US President Donald Trump used his appearance at a Saudi-sponsored investment forum in Miami on March 27 to deliver his sharpest broadside yet against NATO, whose members have refused to join the Iran campaign or help secure the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a cease-fire. Trump criticized NATO for not sending military support and appeared to threaten the alliance with scaled-back participation.
The Houthi entry into the conflict marked a potentially significant escalation. The Yemen-based, Iran-aligned group launched missiles at Israel on March 28, with Israel reporting the interception of one. The Houthis warned that their operations would continue until what they called the "aggression" on all fronts had ended. Observers warn that a full Houthi entry into the conflict could send shockwaves through global energy markets due to the group's ability to threaten shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.
On the diplomatic front, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in France, stated that the United States had not yet received a formal response from Iran but expected to wrap up military operations in "weeks, not months." Trump insisted that Iran is "on the run" and that talks were ongoing, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff mentioned a "15-point deal on the table" awaiting Tehran's response. Senior Iranian officials, however, have denied that any negotiations are underway, though Iran stated on March 25 that it was reviewing the US proposal and put forward five conditions for ending the conflict.