In a nightly drone attack on a US base in Jordan, three US Army soldiers were killed and at least two dozen soldiers were injured. This was confirmed by US President Joe Biden.
It was the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas that US soldiers died from enemy shelling
The death of the three soldiers in Jordan near the border with Syria is seen as a significant escalation of the already precarious situation. Biden blamed the radical fighters of a pro-Iranian group active in Syria and Iraq for the attack. «Have no doubt: We will hold all those responsible accountable at a time and in a way of our choice,» Biden explained in Washington.
Apparently, the drone came from Syria. However, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq committed themselves to the attack and declared that they had attacked four US military bases, three of them in Syria.
Biden stressed that the USA is «in the fight against terrorism» together. «It’s a fight that we won’t give up.» «Today, the hearts of Americans are heavy,» Biden said. «These members of the military embodied the best that our nation has to offer: unwavering in their bravery.»
So far only injured US soldiers
The US Central Command of the region (Centcom) confirmed in a statement on Sunday that in the drone attack, which «hit a base in northeastern Jordan,» three military personnel were killed and 25 injured. It remained unclear why the air defense could not intercept the drone. There was also contradictory information about which US base was hit in the border region.
The US forces on the outpost are part of a consulting and support mission in Jordan. As of summer 2023, around 3,000 US soldiers were stationed in Jordan, as reported by the Axios portal. Among other things, they support Jordan there in the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). As of Friday, according to CNN, there were more than 158 attacks on US and coalition troops in Iraq and Syria with 70 injured, the vast majority of them easily.
Attacks on Houthi rebels
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the troops of the US-led alliance had shot down a drone of pro-Iranian militias near the Syrian border with Jordan and Iraq. They would have tried to attack the military base al-Tanf used by US troops.
US government representatives had repeatedly said in recent weeks that they wanted to prevent the ever-increasing tensions in the Middle East from spreading to a regional war. The USA recently attacked groups supported by Iran in Iraq and Syria, and together with Great Britain, they attacked positions of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who in turn had shelled ships in the Red Sea.
