US President Joe Biden said three US soldiers were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack by an Iran-backed armed group in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border.
Sunday’s (January 28) attack was the first attack on US forces since the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7 has sent shockwaves across the Middle East.
In a statement, Biden said, “Although we are currently gathering information about the attack, we know that the attack was carried out by Iran-backed armed groups active in Syria and Iraq.”
A US official, who did not wish to be named, said 34 US soldiers suffered brain injuries as a result of the attack. Some of the injured have been evacuated from the military base for better treatment.
In a statement released by the White House, Biden said, “We will continue our campaign against terrorism and we will respond to those involved in the attacks in our time and opportunity.”
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior official in the Iranian-backed Palestinian armed group Hamas, linked the attack to the Israeli invasion of Gaza. He said that the killing of three US soldiers sends a message that if the Israeli attacks on Gaza do not stop, the United States will have to suffer more such attacks.
A Jordanian government spokesman said the attack occurred at another US base outside Jordan.
Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United States has given Jordan $1 billion to bolster border security.
It is not clear which Iran-backed group carried out the attack, but it is believed that the Iranian military was not directly involved in the attack.
