President Joe Biden and US officials said on Sunday that an unmanned aerial drone strike on US soldiers deployed in northeastern Jordan, close to the Syrian border, resulted in the deaths of three US service personnel while several others were injured.
Biden attributed the attack to organizations supported by Iran.
“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said in a statement.
A U.S. official told Reuters that at least 34 personnel were being assessed for potential traumatic brain damage.
“While we’re still gathering facts, this is most assuredly the work of an Iranian-backed militia group,” a second official said.
These were the first American military casualties in the area since the conflict in Gaza started. According to Biden, the attack happened on Saturday evening.
The incident represents a significant escalation of the already difficult situation in the Middle East, where a war broke out in Gaza after 1,200 Israelis were killed by the Palestinian Islamist party Hamas on October 7. Over 26,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s following attack on Gaza, the local health ministry reports.
Despite its official stance that it is not at war in the area, the United States has launched strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen that have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea.
In a statement released by White house, Biden said, “We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
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