COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. will “respond” after an overnight drone strike in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border killed three American soldiers and wounded dozens more. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. deaths after such groups carried out months of attacks on American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden, who was in South Carolina, asked for a moment of silence during an appearance in a Baptist church banquet hall.
“We had a rough day in the Middle East last night. “We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” he said. After the moment of silence, Biden added: “And we will respond.”
With the threat of military escalation in the region increasing, U.S. officials worked to identify the exact group responsible for the attack. However, they concluded that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.
Biden said in a written statement that the United States will “hold all those responsible accountable at a time and in a manner we choose.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops and our interests.”
Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria began evacuating their posts out of fear of U.S. airstrikes, according to Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist and head of media outlet Deir Ezzor 24. He told the Associated Press that the areas were the strongholds of Mayadeen and Boukamal.
According to US Central Command, at least 34 soldiers were injured by the unilateral attack drone, eight of whom were flown from Jordan for follow-up care. It described that the eight were in a stable condition.
The large drone hit a logistics support base in Jordan known as Tower 22. It is located along the Syrian border and is largely used by troops involved in the advisory and assistance mission to the Jordanian Armed Forces.
According to Central Command, about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel were stationed at the base. The three killed and most of the wounded were Army soldiers, according to several U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity and provided details not yet released.
The small installation, which Jordan does not publicly disclose, includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and security troops. Austin said the troops were deployed there “to work toward the lasting defeat of ISIS.” Three officials said the drone hit near the troops' sleeping quarters, which they said explains the high number of casualties.
The U.S. military base at al-Tanf, Syria, is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Tower 22. The Jordanian facility is a key logistical hub for U.S. forces in Syria, including those at al-Tanf, which is near the border The areas of Iraq, Syria and Jordan intersect.
In a statement to Jordan's state-run Petra news agency, the country condemned “the terrorist attack” that targeted US troops. That report described the drone strike as targeting “an outpost on the border with Syria” and said it did not harm any Jordanian troops.
“Jordan will continue to combat terrorism and drug and weapons smuggling across the Syrian border into Jordan, and will confront with firmness and determination anyone who attempts to attack the security of the Kingdom,” said the statement, issued by Muhannad Mubaidin, a government spokesman , is attributed , said.
US troops have long used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as a base. Typically, about 3,000 American soldiers are stationed throughout Jordan.
Since the war in Gaza began on October 7, Iran-backed militias have attacked American military facilities in Iraq and more than 90 times in Syria using a mix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles. Sunday's attack was the first attack on American troops in Jordan during the Israel-Hamas war and the first in which Americans were killed. Numerous US soldiers were injured in the attacks, including some with traumatic brain injuries.
The militias said their attacks were in retaliation for Washington's support of Israel in the war in Gaza and that they were aimed at driving U.S. forces from the region.
On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected US accusations that Tehran was behind the drone attack,” according to the official IRNA news agency. It quoted ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying: “The Islamic Republic of Iran plays no role in decisions made by resistance groups about how they support the Palestinian nation or defend their people.”
Iran, Kanaani said, is closely monitoring developments in the region and stressed that “responsibility for the consequences of provocative accusations against Iran lies with those who make the unfounded accusations.”
The U.S. has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in recent months to respond to attacks on American forces in the region and to deter Iran-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
“I am confident that the Biden administration will respond in a deliberate and proportionate manner,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Republicans in Congress said the administration's approach had failed to deter America's adversaries in the region.
“We need a fundamental reorientation of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests,” said Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., went further, calling on the administration to “attack key targets in Iran, not only in retaliation for the killing of our forces, but also as a deterrent against future aggression.” The only thing the Iranian Regime understands is violence.”
Biden, who was in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday, was briefed in the morning by Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. In the afternoon, he met virtually with Vice President Kamala Harris and his national security team for an update.
The president called it a “despicable and completely unjust attack” in the written statement and said the soldiers were “risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans and our allies and partners with whom we fight against him.” “. Terrorism. It’s a fight we won’t give up.”
Syria is still in the midst of a civil war and has long been a launching pad for Iranian-backed forces there, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Several Iran-backed Shiite militias also operate in Iraq.
Jordan, a staunch Western ally and a crucial power in Jerusalem for overseeing holy sites there, is suspected of launching airstrikes in Syria to disrupt drug smugglers, including one that killed nine people earlier this month.
An umbrella organization of Iran-backed groups known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq previously claimed it had launched explosive drone strikes on three areas in Syria and one in “occupied Palestine.” The group has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on US troop bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Three officials from Iran-backed militias in Iraq, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with reporters, said the drone strike on the base in Jordan was launched by one of the Iraqi groups. No faction has yet officially taken responsibility.
Officials said the U.S. military was not pursuing further attacks on its forces in the region on Sunday.
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Baldor reported from Washington. Associated Press Writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Bassem Mroue and Abby Sewell in Beirut; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, and Jon Gambrell in Jerusalem contributed to this report.