Three American soldiers were killed and 25 were injured in a drone attack on an American base in Jordan, the US military announced, reports the BBC.
The US Central Command (Centcom) announced in a statement that the victims were caused by a drone attack on a base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria, according to the BBC.
This is the first time US soldiers have been killed in the region since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. There have been attacks on US bases in the region, but the US military has so far reported no casualties.
Reuters reported, citing a US official, that at least 34 crew members were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries.
"While we are still gathering the facts, this is the most certain act by an Iranian-backed militia," another official said.
Reuters reported that the President of the United States of America (USA) Joseph Biden said that three members of the US military were killed and many were wounded during a drone attack on US forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border.
Jordanian government spokesman Muhanad al-Mubaidin said that the attack in which three American soldiers were killed did not take place on Jordanian soil, but in Syria, reports Reuters.
He said this to the Jordanian public television Al Mamlaka and said that the target of the attack was the American base Al-Tanf in Syria.
Reuters also reported that Biden blamed Iran-backed militant groups for the attack.
"While we are still gathering the facts about this attack, we know it was carried out by radical militant groups supported by Iran, which operate in Syria and Iraq," Biden said in a statement.
This attack marked the first deaths of US troops in the region since the beginning of the war in Gaza, writes Reuters.
Biden said the attack happened Saturday night.
"We will continue their commitment to the fight against terrorism. And there is no doubt – we will hold all those responsible accountable at the time and in the manner we choose," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
"Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen – and Americans across the country – in mourning the loss of these warriors in this despicable and completely unjust attack," Biden's statement added, according to the BBC.
A senior official in the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, directly linked the attack to Israel's campaign in Gaza.
"The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the American administration that it must face the entire nation if the killing of innocents in Gaza is not stopped. The continuation of the American-Zionist aggression in Gaza is capable of leading to an explosion of the situation in the region," he told Reuters.
The US military said the attack took place at a base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria. No base named.
US military activities in Jordan can be a sensitive issue, especially at a time of increased tensions in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to Reuters.
Washington has given Jordan about $2011 billion to bolster border security since Syria's civil war began in XNUMX, and has recently sent more military aid for that purpose, Western intelligence sources say.
It is unclear which Iran-backed group may have carried out the attack, but several US officials have said they do not believe Iran's military forces launched the drone strike alone.
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