3 US soldiers killed, 34 wounded in Iranian-backed group’s attack on US base in Syria
Biden: Attack was ‘carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups’
Three American soldiers were killed and around 34 wounded when a drone that was launched by a Iranian-backed terror group struck an American base at the Syrian-Jordanian border, the U.S. Central Command stated on Sunday.
A U.S. official told Reuters that 34 U.S. service members were being checked for possible traumatic brain injuries following the attack. The Washington Post reported that a drone had struck the living quarters at the base, causing various types of injuries.
The White House released a statement from U.S. President Joe Biden, who said that while facts are still being gathered, “we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
“Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen – and Americans across the country – in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack,” Biden said, adding: "Have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.”
While the White House and CENTCOM initially said the attack took place at a base in northeast Jordan, a Jordanian government spokesperson later stated the attack happened on Syrian territory, at the al-Tanf base, which lies near the border triangle of Jordan, Syria and Iraq.
According to the Iranian-backed militia that took responsibility for the attack, it was targeting the Tower 22 base in Jordan, while also claiming it attacked several other American bases in the region, including al-Tanf.
The terror organization Hamas praised the attack on Sunday, with Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri claiming it was “a message to the American administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation, and that the continuation of the American-Zionist aggression against Gaza is capable of detonating the entire region.”
Attacks on U.S. bases across the Middle East have dramatically increased since the start of the war between Israel and the Hamas terror group on Oct. 7.
While over 158 attacks were launched at American forces and its coalition in Iraq and Syria since October, the latest incident is the first one that resulted in the deaths of American soldiers.
In response to the incident, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson urged the U.S. “send a crystal clear message across the globe that attacks on our troops will not be tolerated.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
