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Three soldiers from U.S were killed and at least 30 others were injured in a drone attack on Sunday in Jordan, near the border with Syria. This is the first time US military personnel have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the start of the war. war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on October 7. The action was claimed by an Iranian-backed militia.
U.S said on Monday that reserves the right to respond. “There is no doubt there will be a response, but as we have done in the past, it will come at a time and in a manner that we choose. We will do what we have to do“, said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby in an interview with MSNBC.
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“We believe it was a single drone. We’re still working on what happened and how that drone managed to attack what was basically a barracks. Considering the time the attack occurred, most of the soldiers were asleep in bed,” Kirby added.
“We are not looking for a war with Iran”Kirby said on NBC’s Today show. “We do not intend to worsen the conflict in the region… Obviously, these attacks continue to occur. We will continue to analyze the options. I can’t speak for the supreme leader or what he wants or doesn’t want. I can tell you what we want. “What we want is a stable, safe and prosperous Middle East, and we want these attacks to stop.”
On Sunday, the president Joe Biden He promised to hold those responsible for the attack accountable and said that although data is still being collected, “we know it was carried out by radical extremist groups supported by Will operating in Syria and Iraq,” according to a CNN report.
Biden met with members of his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Monday to discuss the latest developments. The Democratic president is under pressure to order direct retaliation against Will.
This is what is known about the attack, its perpetrators and possible consequences:
He stroke occurred in Tower 22a counterintelligence base that U.S to be continued Jordanclose to the border with Syria.
He United States Central Command (Centcom) He reported that it was carried out with a drone, without giving further details.
It’s unclear why air defenses were unable to intercept the drone, but the Wall Street Journal gave clues on Monday about what happened.
US authorities revealed to the media that the drone managed to penetrate the base’s anti-aircraft defenses because it entered at the same time as a US drone returned to the site.
Officials said that while the enemy drone was flying at low altitude, a US drone was returning to base. As a result, there was no effort to shoot down the enemy drone.
Around 350 soldiers are deployed at the attacked base. U.S whose mission is to achieve the “lasting defeat” of the terrorist group Islamic stateHe said centcom.
Additionally, the Tower 22 base is located near another US military barracks called Al Tanf, located in Syria very close to the border with Jordan.
After Biden’s announcement, Will He defined responsibilities. The Islamic Republic has denied American and British accusations that it supports the militant groups responsible for the incident.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not welcome the expansion of the conflict in the region”said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Naser Kanaani. “Will “He is not involved in the decisions of the resistance groups”, he stressed.
Biden had said that the attack was carried out by militias supported by Will that operate in Syria It is Iraqbut did not identify the group responsible.
But the pro-Iran militia group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for several attacks on positions in Syria and Iraq on Sunday and claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on US troops in Jordan.
The group Al Nujabaone of the most important within the Islamic Resistance in Iraqcelebrated in a statement the attacks that the group launched on Sunday against US positions in the region “which caused the death and injuries of more than 50 US soldiers”.
O Islamic Resistance in Iraq demands the withdrawal of the United States from Iraq and rejects American support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.
In turn, the spokesperson for HamasSami Abu Zuhri said the soldiers’ deaths “are a message to the American government that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it could confront the entire Muslim nation.”
“Continued US Zionist aggression in Gaza could cause a regional explosion,” he added.
U.S and its allies in Iraq It is Syria have been the target of more than 150 attacks since mid-October by Iranian-backed militias, according to the Pentagon. Around 70 people were injured in these actions.
One of these militias is the Houthi rebels from Yemen, who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea.
After what happened on Sunday in Jordanin the United States, demands multiplied by Republican politicians to bomb Will in retaliation.
According to the AP agency, Republicans blame Biden for doing too little to deter pro-Iranian militias.
“The response of Biden to these attacks was disorganized, ineffective and weak,” said the spokesperson for the Republican National Committee in a statement. Jake Schneider. “Now, more Americans have lost their lives due to the incompetence of Biden” he added.
In turn, the former president donald trump He described Sunday’s attack as ““another horrible and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender.”.
“We are saddened by the loss of three American heroes in Jordan last night and are praying for their families and the… other service members who were injured. “The United States must send a crystal clear message to the entire world that attacks on our troops will not be tolerated,” wrote the Republican speaker of the House. michael johnsonon social network X.
The senator Lindsey Graham said the Pentagon should respond by targeting Will.
“The Biden administration can eliminate all Iranian supporters it wants, but that will not stop Iranian aggression. “I call on the Biden administration to strike important targets inside Iran, not only in retaliation for the killing of our forces, but as a deterrent against future aggression,” Graham said in a statement. “The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force. Until they pay a price with their infrastructure and personnel, attacks on American troops will continue.”
According to the EFE agency, based on the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, given the imminent response from the United States, several pro-Iranian groups in eastern Syria are “relocating”, while several militias have mobilized trucks with rocket launchers. to combat possible American bombings.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
