Secret Iranian Attack Injures 8 U.S. Marines in Hormuz

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Eight U.S. Marine Corps personnel were injured in an Iranian cruise missile attack targeting a ship carrying American forces in the Strait of Hormuz, in an incident that had not been previously reported, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The officials clarified that the attack occurred on September 14, when Iran targeted the ship that had Marine Corps personnel on board with an anti-ship cruise missile, as reported by NBC News.

The officials also stated that the injuries were not serious, but included cases of smoke inhalation and potential brain injuries, as some personnel exhibited symptoms of a concussion, including headaches. They explained that the injured group included seven soldiers and one officer, all of whom returned to their duties shortly after the attack.

They also noted that these personnel were working as part of a "battalion landing team" within the Marine Corps when the ship was targeted.

They reported that the targeted ship was not affiliated with the U.S. Navy, but they refrained from specifying its nature or type, merely describing it as a "naval unit."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, did not announce any attack against U.S. forces in the region on September 14, nor have details of the attack or injuries to the eight Marines been disclosed.

In the same context, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the incident, while a spokesperson for the Department of Defense referred questions regarding the attack to Central Command when asked for comment.

The revelation of this attack comes at a time when questions are increasing regarding the number of casualties and injuries among U.S. forces since the outbreak of the war with Iran, which is led by the United States and Israel in February.

Unlike what has been customary in many U.S. foreign conflicts, casualty figures in this war have not been announced regularly.

It is noted that the Pentagon has recently taken steps to reduce the death toll during the summer, after reclassifying the circumstances surrounding the deaths of several soldiers.

In contrast, the "Defense Casualty Analysis System" database showed that 861 members of the U.S. forces have been injured in the war with Iran as of Wednesday.

The system included the eight Marines on the list of those injured in external operations on the same day, about ten days after the attack occurred.

One official explained that the recording of injuries may be delayed, especially when symptoms do not appear immediately, in addition to the fact that the database is not updated in real-time.

The data does not include basic information about the eight individuals, such as where they were injured, when it occurred, or how they were affected.

More than 50,000 members of the U.S. forces are deployed in the Central Command operational area, including two carrier strike groups comprising the "USS George Washington" and the "USS George H.W. Bush."

At the same time, the U.S. military continues to impose a maritime blockade on ships attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz, coordinating the passage of commercial vessels through multiple navigational routes, intercepting Iranian projectiles, and inspecting passages for mines.