COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Three American service members have been killed and “many” have been wounded in a drone strike in northeast Jordan close to the Syrian border, President Joe Biden mentioned in an announcement Sunday. He attributed the assault to Iran-backed militia teams.
They have been the primary U.S. fatalities in months of strikes towards American forces throughout the Center East by Iranian-backed militias amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, growing the chance of escalation. U.S. officers have been nonetheless working to conclusively establish the exact group answerable for the assault, however have assessed that one among a number of Iranian-backed teams is in charge.
Biden mentioned the USA “will maintain all these accountable to account at a time and in a fashion (of) our selecting.”
Jordanian state tv quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a authorities spokesman, as insisting the assault occurred exterior of the dominion throughout the border in Syria. U.S. officers insisted that the assault occurred in Jordan.
U.S. troops lengthy have used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Financial institution, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as a basing level. U.S. Central Command mentioned 25 service members have been injured the assault along with the three killed.
Some 3,000 American troops sometimes are stationed in Jordan.
Since Israel’s conflict on Hamas within the Gaza Strip started, U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have confronted drone and missile assaults on their bases. The assault on Jordan marks the primary concentrating on American troops in Jordan in the course of the conflict and the primary to end result within the lack of American lives. Different assaults have left troops critically injured, together with with traumatic mind accidents.
The U.S. in current months has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen to reply to assaults on American forces within the area and to discourage Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from persevering with to threaten industrial transport within the Purple Sea.
Biden, who was in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday, was briefed by Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin, nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan, and principal deputy nationwide safety adviser Jon Finer, White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned. He was anticipated to fulfill once more together with his nationwide safety crew later Sunday.
The president referred to as it a “despicable and wholly unjust assault” and mentioned the service members have been “risking their very own security for the security of their fellow Individuals, and our allies and companions with whom we stand within the battle towards terrorism. It’s a battle we won’t stop.”
Syria remains to be within the midst of a civil conflict and lengthy has been a launch pad for Iranian-backed forces there, together with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Iraq has a number of Iranian-backed Shiite militias working there as nicely.
Jordan, a staunch Western ally and an important energy in Jerusalem for its oversight of holy websites there, is suspected of launching airstrikes in Syria to disrupt drug smugglers, together with one which killed 9 folks earlier this month.
An umbrella group for Iran-backed factions referred to as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq earlier claimed launching explosive drone assaults concentrating on three areas in Syria, in addition to one inside “occupied Palestine.” The group has claimed accountability for dozens of assaults towards bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria because the Israel-Hamas conflict started.
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Related Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan and Jon Gambrell in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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