Three US Army soldiers were killed and more than 30 service members were injured in an overnight drone attack on a small US outpost in Jordan, CENTCOM reported.
It is the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war. President Joe Biden at a speech in South Carolina on Sunday said:
We shall respond.
The killing of three Americans in Tower 22 in Jordan, near the border with Syria, was a significant escalation of an already tense situation in the Middle East. Officials said the drone was fired by Iranian-backed militants and appeared to have come from Syria. Exactly which militant group is responsible is not yet known.
US Central Command confirmed in a statement on Sunday that three service members were killed and at least 34 wounded in a drone attack that “landed on a base in northeastern Jordan.” Eight wounded troops were evacuated for higher-level medical care, CENTCOM said.
Biden pledged Sunday to hold those responsible for the attack “accountable,” saying that while the facts are still being gathered, “we know this was perpetrated by radical militant groups backed by Iran operating in Syria and Iraq.” He added:
These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty. Unbending in their commitment to our country — risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. … [H]ave no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.
Iran on Sunday denied involvement in the attack, state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, citing the country’s permanent mission to the United Nations.
Tehran’s denial came after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said on Sunday it had attacked a number of targets along the Jordanian-Syrian border, including the al-Rukban camp. The camp is in close proximity to the US outpost Tower 22. The statement, published on the Islamic Resistance’s Telegram channel, was issued before the US announced the deaths of the three soldiers.
Speaking at a church in South Carolina on Sunday, Biden asked for a moment of silence to honour the servicemen. He concluded his remarks by saying:
I want to point out that we had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases.
As of Friday, there have been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.
It is unclear why air defences failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces began on 17 October. US troops are at the outpost as part of an advisory assistance mission to Jordan.
CENTCOM reported later on Sunday that “approximately 350 US Army and Air Force personnel are stationed at the base in a number of key support roles, including supporting the coalition to ultimately defeat ISIL.”
Meanwhile, Israel continues its campaign in Gaza against Hamas following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October. The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 25,000 people have been killed in the intense fighting since 7 October, with tens of thousands more injured. Israel has also been striking Hezbollah in Lebanon; on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces said it had launched artillery and fighter strikes against Hezbollah facilities in southern Lebanon.
