Three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack. Iran denies responsibility. “We will react,” says the American president.

About 350 American soldiers are stationed here: the American base Tower 22 in Jordan

WASHINGTON afp | Following the death of three US soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan, US President Joe Biden has announced retaliation. “We will respond,” Biden said on Sunday (local time). He blamed the incident on pro-Iran groups. The Iranian government denied any responsibility and said the accusations were “politically motivated.”

According to the US Central Middle East Command (Centcom), three US soldiers were killed and at least 34 others were wounded in the bombing of a military base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria, on Sunday night. . Eight of the injured had to be evacuated. The attack was initially said to have taken place in Syrian territory.

US President Biden blamed the attack on a pro-Iran group. “While we are still gathering the facts about this attack, we already know that it was carried out by a radical Iranian-backed militant group operating in Syria and Iraq,” he said.

At the same time, the president of the United States announced retaliation. “Rest assured, we will hold all those responsible accountable whenever and however we choose,” Biden said.

Iran denied any connection to the attack. The accusations were made with the political goal of “reversing the reality in the region,” state news agency Irna quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying. Resistance groups in the region received no instructions from Iran, he stressed. “They decide their actions based on their own principles.”

While the Jordanian government initially said the attack had targeted a military base in Syria, government spokesman Muhannad Mubaidin later said the country condemned “the terrorist attack on an outpost on the border with Syria.” The U.S. military worked with Jordan “to combat terrorism and secure the border.”

Bahrain, Egypt and Britain also condemned the attack. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called on Iran to “reduce tension” in the region.

First deadly attack for the United States since October 7

According to Centcom, around 350 US Army and Air Force personnel are stationed at the base, carrying out “a number of important support tasks”, including for the international coalition against the jihadist militia “Islamic State” (IS).

It was the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and the radical Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas that American soldiers were killed by enemy fire. The deadly attack fuels fears of a further escalation of the conflict.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Suhri said the death of the American soldiers was “a message to the American government that as long as the killing of innocent people in the Gaza Strip does not stop, its target will be the entire (Muslim) nation.” .

According to the US Department of Defense, soldiers of the US military and its allies in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 150 times since mid-October. The “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a loose alliance of armed groups with ties to Iran, has claimed responsibility for many attacks on American soldiers. The US military responded with repeated attacks in both countries.