01/29/2024 12:39
The United States reported that three US soldiers were killed and dozens injured in an unmanned drone strike on a US military base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria.
President Joe Biden has blamed Iranianbacked groups for the incident, the first deadly attack on U.S. forces since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October.
“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know that it was carried out by Iranbacked radical militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said in a statement. The Iranian government denied any responsibility for the attack this Monday (29).
The American Central Command (Centcom) reported on Sunday evening that the attack hit a logistics support base in Tower 22 in the northeast JordanAt least 34 military personnel were injured eight of whom had to be taken out of the country. The drone reportedly attacked near the barracks early Sunday morning.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of radical militant groups backed by Iran, reported attacks on three bases, including one on the JordanianSyrian border.
This was the first time that American soldiers have died in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, raising fears of an escalation of tensions in the simmering conflict between Israel and Iran.
In this context, the Iraqi government condemned this Monday the attack in the middle of the desert, on the border between them JordanIraq and Syria, called for “an end to the spiral of violence” and agreed to “help develop basic rules of engagement to avoid new repercussions in the region and prevent the conflict from spreading.”
Biden promises a “consistent” response
Nearly 350 American Army and Air Force personnel are stationed at the attacked base, carrying out “a number of critical support functions,” including for the international coalition against the Islamic State extremist group.
“We will respond,” Biden said during a visit to the state of South Carolina.
“Today the heart of the United States is sad. This evening, three American soldiers died and several were injured in a drone strike on our forces stationed in the Northeast Jordannear the border with Syria,” he explained.
“We know it was carried out by Iranbacked radical fighter groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said. “There is no doubt: we will hold those responsible accountable when and how we see fit,” he added.
Iran responded through its permanent mission to the United Nations that it had “no connection or anything with the attack on the American base,” which it attributed to a “conflict between the United States and resistance groups in the region,” according to a bulletin the official Iranian agency IRNA.
“These groups are responding to war crimes and genocide committed by the Zionist regime,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanaani, referring to Israel. “They decide their actions according to their own principles,” he added, quoted by IRNA.
Iran also announced on Monday the execution of four men accused of spying for Israel.
Increasing tensions in the Middle East
The attack worsens an already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people. Israel's subsequent attack on Gaza killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.
Since then, U.S. forces have been attacked more than 150 times by Iranianbacked groups in Iraq and Syria, leaving at least 70 people dead, most with brain injuries, before Sunday's attack.
U.S. warships have also been attacked by Iranbacked Houthi forces in Yemen, which regularly attack merchant ships passing through Red Sea waters off Yemen's coast.
While the United States has so far stuck to the official line that Washington is not at war in the region, it has retaliated against Iranianbacked groups in Iraq and Syria and launched attacks on Houthi military capabilities in Yemen.
“We will continue to work to combat terrorism. And have no doubt we will hold all those responsible accountable at the time and in the manner we choose,” Biden said in his statement released by the White House.
* With AFP and Portal
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