Three American service members were killed and 25 others were wounded Sunday in a drone attack executed by Iranian-backed militants in Jordan.
“On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack UAS that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.”
The attack is the first that has resulted in the deaths of American soldiers since Iranian proxies started launching assaults on U.S. forces amid the geopolitical turmoil between Israel and Hamas.
“We know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” President Biden said in a statement.
Biden was informed of the attack by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, the White House said.
“Today, America’s heart is heavy,” Biden said. “Last night, three U.S. service members were killed – and many wounded – during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border…Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen – and Americans across the country – in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack. These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty.”
American troops in Iraq and Syria have been targeted over 158 times since October. The attacks, which continue to mount despite the Pentagon establishing nearly a dozen air-defense systems to the region, have mainly inflicted infrastructure damage and more minor injuries. In December, Biden ordered retaliatory air strikes on three sites in Iraq after Iran-backed terrorists launched a drone attack on a U.S. military base, wounding three American service members. One ended up in critical condition.
Also backed by Iran, the Yemen-based Houthi militant group has escalated its confrontations with U.S. forces. In late December, the U.S. Navy sank three ships tied to the Houthis after it targeted a Maersk container ship in the Red Sea, leading the massive shipping company to pause all operations in the region for two days. Earlier this month, the U.S. conducted its fourth round of air strikes against the Houthis to prevent the terror group from continuing its campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The Biden administration recently redesignated the group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, one step down from the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation, which carries with it more severe sanctions.