Third US troop dies as Iran conflict spreads across Gulf

A US service member died in northern Iraq on July 18 while trying to destroy an unexploded Iranian one-way attack drone, US Central Command said, marking the third US troop death in two days as the conflict with Iran widened across the Gulf. Another service member was wounded in the blast. The latest death followed a July 17 attack in Jordan that killed two US troops, wounded four others and left one missing; Central Command said unidentified remains found there were being examined. Iranian retaliation also struck Kuwait again, hitting a power and water desalination plant and causing fires and severe damage, Kuwaiti authorities said. Bahrain said it intercepted a wave of Iranian aerial attacks, while Israel reported downing an Iranian drone near the Israel-Syria border.