[00:00] Margaret Ellis: We are following breaking news this hour.
[00:03] Margaret Ellis: I'm Margaret Ellis.
[00:04] Margaret Ellis: Reports from the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal confirmed that a significant
[00:09] Margaret Ellis: Iranian strike targeted the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
[00:15] Margaret Ellis: Six ballistic missiles and 29 drones were used in the attack.
[00:20] Margaret Ellis: At least 15 United States service members were wounded, including five who are in serious
[00:26] Margaret Ellis: condition.
[00:27] Margaret Ellis: The base, located about 60 miles from Riyadh, sustained damage to several refueling aircraft and an E3 Sentry surveillance plane.
[00:38] Margaret Ellis: This installation has been a recurring target since the United States and Israel initiated their campaign last month.
[00:45] Claire Donovan: I'm Claire Donovan.
[00:47] Margaret Ellis: The human cost of this conflict is mounting as we reach the one-month mark.
[00:52] Claire Donovan: United States Central Command reports that the total number of wounded service members has now surpassed 300.
[00:59] Claire Donovan: While most have returned to duty, 10 are considered seriously wounded.
[01:04] Claire Donovan: We have also seen 13 fatalities to date, including Army Sergeant Benjamin Pennington,
[01:10] Claire Donovan: who died following a previous attack on this same base.
[01:14] Claire Donovan: In response to the heightening risk, the United States S. Tripoli arrived in the region on Friday,
[01:21] Claire Donovan: carrying 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to provide additional security
[01:28] Claire Donovan: and amphibious assets.
[01:30] Margaret Ellis: It is worth noting that while the United States has successfully neutralized roughly 70% of
[01:36] Margaret Ellis: Iran's known launch capacity, according to Israeli military figures, the remaining
[01:42] Margaret Ellis: hidden mobile launchers continue to facilitate these strikes.
[01:47] Margaret Ellis: The Pentagon is reportedly drafting plans for a more comprehensive bombing campaign,
[01:52] Margaret Ellis: though the depletion of precision-guided munitions remains a critical variable in those operational timelines.
[02:00] Claire Donovan: As of now, the focus remains on the April 6th window and whether the increased naval presence can force a shift in the maritime blockade.
[02:10] Margaret Ellis: From Neural Newscast, I'm Margaret Ellis.
[02:13] Claire Donovan: And I'm Claire Donovan.
[02:15] Claire Donovan: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[02:19] Claire Donovan: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.