Tensions rose in the Middle East on Sunday as a drone attack hit a U.S. military base in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, killing three U.S. soldiers and injuring at least 34 more.
Eight service members were medically evacuated, and more injuries including traumatic brain injuries are expected.
The Biden administration attributes the attack to an Iran-backed militia but has not identified the group responsible.
“We lost three brave soldiers in an attack on one of our bases,” President Biden said in a statement at the Brookland Baptist Church in South Carolina. “We shall respond.”
Iran-backed militias have targeted U.S. and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria over 150 times since October in retaliation for the United States’ support of Israel in the Gaza war against Hamas.
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communications, Muhannad Mubaidin, condemned the attacks and emphasized the close collaboration between American troops and Jordanian Armed Forces in combating terrorism and securing the country’s border with Syria.
