Three US troops were killed and 25 injured in a drone attack on a base in Jordan, which President Joe Biden said was carried out by “Iran-backed” militants.
A Jordanian military official, who spoke to the Telegraph on condition of anonymity, said that the strike hit in front of Tower 22, a small outpost in the north of Jordan near the Syrian border. Tower 22 is close to the US al-Tanf military base in southeastern Syria, which the Islamic Resistance in Iraq earlier on Sunday said that it had targeted with drones.
Typically around 3,000 US troops are based in Jordan, which is a base point for troops and special forces operating in Iraq and Syria.
It is not immediately clear why air defences did not work against the drone attack.
Mr Biden said in a statement: “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
The president vowed to retaliate, adding: “Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
A US Central Command statement said: “On January 28, three US service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack (drone) that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border.”
The incident is the most significant attack against US forces in the Middle East since Iran-backed militias began unleashing waves of strikes against US-led coalition bases and forces in line with the war on Gaza.
US forces have faced more than 150 attacks in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of the Gaza war, but this is the first time that troops have been killed.