- A drone attack on a US base in Jordan killed three US troops and injured 25 others
- US President Joe Biden blamed Iran-backed militant groups for the attack and vowed to retaliate
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations and said it had nothing to do with the attack
New Delhi: A US military base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria, was targeted by a drone attack on Saturday night, resulting in the death of three US service members and the injury of 25 others, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). This was the first time US troops were killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
US President Joe Biden, who was on a tour of South Carolina, issued a statement on Sunday, condemning the attack as “despicable and wholly unjust” and attributing it to “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”. He said that the US would hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of its choosing. He also expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the fallen soldiers.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry, however, denied any involvement in the attack and dismissed the US allegations as “baseless and unfounded”. A statement published by the state news agency IRNA said that Iran had no connection with the attack on the US base and that it was a result of the conflict between the US forces and the resistance groups in the area. It also accused the US of trying to create a pretext for further aggression and interference in the region.
The drone attack on the US base in Jordan has raised tensions and the risk of military escalation in the Middle East, where the US and Iran have been engaged in a proxy war for years. US officials are trying to identify the exact group responsible for the attack, which could be one of the several Iran-backed militias that operate in Syria and Iraq, such as Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or the Popular Mobilization Forces.
