The US spent about 80 air defense missiles to repel Iran's strike

The U.S. military used up to 70 Patriot interceptors and more than a dozen Thaad interceptors, totaling about 80, to fend off one Iranian retaliatory strike on U.S. targets in Jordan last week that ultimately failed to be fully repelled, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

“US forces fired 60 to 70 Patriot interceptor missiles to repel the attack... The US (also - ed.) launched more than a dozen Thaad interceptors... (Air defense systems - ed.) were unable to prevent all attacks," the report said.

As one of the publication’s interlocutors noted, this expenditure is comparable to what the United States spent in a whole week during other periods of military conflict.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Iran's military has adapted its attacks to use warheads that split into many smaller projectiles as they approach the target, making them difficult to intercept. As a result, despite the absence of fatalities among the military personnel, Iranian missiles managed to hit fighters and other US aircraft at the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump rejected media claims that American fighters at a US air base in Jordan were damaged as a result of Iranian retaliatory strikes.