US military faces deadly ‘drone attack’ in Jordan; Blame Iran-backed groups

While the United States has so far maintained an official stance that Washington is not waging a war in the region, it has been retaliating against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria and carrying out strikes against Yemen’s Houthi military capabilities. .

Here’s a 10-point guide on Iran drone strikes

1) President Joe Biden and US officials said on Sunday that three US service members were killed and dozens may be injured after an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces deployed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border.

2) At least 34 personnel were injured in the attack, according to a statement from US Central Command, but that number is expected to change as more people seek care. Eight personnel were evacuated to Jordan for high-level care, but are in stable condition.

3) Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly attack against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war began in October and sent shock waves across the Middle East.

4) In an official statement, Biden said, “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know that it was carried out by Iran-backed fundamentalist terrorist groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”

5) Several prominent US politicians, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, called for attacking Iran. “Now attack Iran. Hit them hard,” Graham wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

6) Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “We must respond to these repeated attacks by Iran and its proxies by striking directly at Iranian targets and its leadership.”

7) Senator Jack Reed, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said he is “confident that the Biden administration will respond in a deliberate and proportionate manner.”

8) Republican Senator Tom Cotton said in a statement, “The only response to these attacks must be a devastating military response against Iran’s terrorist forces… Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward.”

9) The attack is a major escalation in an already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200. Israel’s subsequent offensive on Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.

10) This is the first time that US military personnel have been killed by hostile fire in the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, and the incident will further escalate tensions in the region and raise fears of a wider conflict directly involving Iran. . ,

(with inputs from agencies)

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Published: Jan 29, 2024, 08:46 am IST