Three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack in Jordan near the border with Syria.
• Also read: US strikes in Iraq against pro-Iranian armed groups
According to American sources interviewed by Sky News, 25 people were also injured.
US President Joe Biden comments on an attack carried out by armed groups funded by Iran, adding that the country is investigating the circumstances of the attack.
“Last night, three American soldiers were killed – and several more injured – in a completely unjust attack. These soldiers embodied the best of our nation […] The three American soldiers we lost were patriots in the truest sense of the word. And their ultimate sacrifice our nation will never forget. Together we will respect the sacred obligation we have to their families,” he emphasized in a press release.
This is the first time American soldiers have been killed in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza.
The American President discussed the situation on Sunday with his Vice President Kamala Harris and the heads of diplomacy, especially the Pentagon and the CIA, the White House said.
AFP
Jordanian government spokesman Muhannad Mubaidin confirmed that the attack did not take place in Jordan but “targeted the Al-Tanf base in Syria,” a strategic base of the anti-jihadist coalition in a desert area in the Near Jordan Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of fighters from pro-Iranian armed groups, claimed on its Telegram account that there had been “drone attacks at dawn on Sunday morning” against three bases in Syrian territory, including that of Al- Tanf and Rukban, very close.
Sami Abou Zahri, a Hamas spokesman, said the deaths of the three soldiers were “a message to the American government”: “Continuing American-Zionist aggression in Gaza risks a regional explosion” with the anger of “the whole.” . Muslim world.
These American military deaths occur in an explosive context: in addition to the war in Gaza, there have been several attacks and attacks between Iran and its regional allies, on the one hand, and Israel, the United States, and their partners, on the other.
Since mid-October, more than 150 drone strikes or rocket attacks have targeted American and coalition soldiers in Iraq and Syria. They are generally claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
Washington has previously responded with targeted attacks in Iraq, but these retaliatory measures have so far been limited. Iran and the United States have reiterated that they do not want a regional explosion.
Further south, the Houthis have been targeting international maritime traffic off the coast of Yemen for several months, claiming they are supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.
AFP
In response, Washington has repeatedly bombed positions of these Tehran-backed rebels since early January.
The United States even called on China to intervene with Iran to stop these attacks, which have seriously disrupted global trade.
In addition, Israel has intensified its attacks against the Syrian regime and pro-Iranian groups in that country. On its northern border there are also regular exchanges of fire with the Lebanese Hezbollah, which is very close to Iran.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas's unprecedented attack in Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to a count by the AFP news agency based on official Israeli figures.
In response, Israel launched a massive military operation in Gaza that killed 26,422 people, the vast majority of them women, children and teenagers, according to the latest Hamas Health Ministry report.
Iranian-backed groups in the region say they are acting in response to the high death toll and in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Biden's statement after the deaths of three US soldiers: “Today America's heart is heavy. Last night, three US soldiers were killed – and many injured – in an unmanned drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border…
– Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 28, 2024