US troop deaths ignite anger over ‘war for Israel’
Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded while participating in the joint US-Israeli war on Iran, the Pentagon confirmed on Sunday - marking the first US fatalities since the conflict began.
US Central Command said additional personnel suffered minor shrapnel wounds and concussions. “Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions - and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing,” the statement read.
NBC News, citing US officials, reported that the attack that killed the soldiers occurred in Kuwait.
The deaths have triggered fierce criticism in the United States, where opponents argue that Washington entered a war long pushed by Israel.
Republican former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene offered condolences to the families but condemned the intervention. “This was absolutely unnecessary and is unacceptable,” she wrote on X. “Trump, Vance, Tulsi, and all of us campaigned on no more foreign wars and regime change,” she added. “Now, America [sic] soldiers are dead.”
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Greene also called pro-Israeli media voice and Trump ally Laura Loomer a “bitch” and accused her of “celebrating the death of American military members” after Loomer posted a message of condolence for the soldiers on X. Loomer has been one of the right’s most vocal supporters of a war with Iran.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen also criticised the decision to escalate. “I’m thinking of the brave American soldiers killed today. They should still be with us,” he wrote, adding: “Trump said he would keep us out of war. This is his war of choice.”
'Absolutely disgusting and evil'
Before the fatalities were confirmed, US journalist Ana Kasparian warned against deeper involvement. “Our soldiers are in Israel right now in order to defend the Israelis. Do the Israelis pay for our military? Are they the ones who are shelling out a trillion dollars a year for our military? NO!,” she said in a video posted online.
Other prominent figures within Donald Trump’s MAGA movement have also condemend his decision to join Israel in launching military action against Iran.
In an interview with ABC News on Saturday, longtime Trump ally Tucker Carlson described the joint US-Israeli attack as “absolutely disgusting and evil.” He warned that the move could reshape Trump’s political base, adding: “This is going to shuffle the deck in a profound way.”
Pro-Trump podcaster Tim Pool also criticised the escalation, calling it a betrayal of campaign promises to avoid foreign wars.
Influential Maga commentators Keith and Kevin Hodge went further, rejecting the rationale for intervention. “Freeing the people of Iran is not why I voted for Trump,” they wrote online.
In a separate post, the brothers accused the president of betraying his supporters. “President Trump has completely LIED to his voters, backstabbed our country and has disgraced his legacy beyond repair at this point, biggest fall from grace i have ever seen.”
The deaths have intensified debate over whether US forces are fighting a war framed by critics as serving Israeli strategic objectives rather than American national interests.
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