At least one ballistic missile and several attack drones were used. “At least one E-3 aircraft – capable of detecting and controlling aircraft and airbases – completely destroyed, and all nearby aircraft sustained serious damage,” the Russian Sputnik agency reported today, quoting Iran’s republican guard.

At least 12 American soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously, US media reported on Friday.

The strike on Friday hit an installation housing troops and also caused significant damage to US KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft that are used to sustain long‑range US and Israeli air operations.

Al Jazeera reported that the attack left “a clear trail of destruction across the installation seen in satellite images and photos shared across social media. At least two photos showed the rear fuselage of one E-3 burnt, and the radar dome destroyed on the tarmac next to the plane”.

The loss of the E‑3 carries strategic consequences as it degrades the ability to detect incoming hostile threats and coordinate any retaliatory response, Al Jazeera said. The E‑3 Sentry is an Airborne Warning and Control System and one of the most important command‑and‑control platforms in the US inventory. It carries a large rotating radar that provides 360‑degree surveillance across a 250-mile radius.

So far neither the US military nor Saudi Arabia has commented on the attack and loss of aircraft.