Three American personnel, aged 46, 24, and 23, were all killed in a drone attack on their housing unit in Rukban, northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border, with 40 more personnel injured. The US has blamed Iranian-affiliated militant groups for the strike, with the Pentagon stating that it carried the “footprints” of Hezbollah. However, a Pentagon spokesperson did clear things up by restating that the US was not seeking war with Iran. Iran denies supporting groups responsible for the attack, contradicting British and American accusations.
The drone itself appeared to be Iranian-made, with an official stating that it was a type of Shahed drone. These drones are a one-way attack, meaning they cannot return, and are being actively provided to Russia by Iran to support them in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The air defense system was turned off when the attack happened, as there was also a US drone returning at around the same time as the Shahed drone was about to strike. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson stated that they “were not involved in the decision-making of resistance groups.” Their intelligence minister also said that armed groups in the region backed by Iran will respond to “American aggressors”.
US President Joe Biden stated that the US would “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our own choosing.” US defense secretary agreed, claiming that he and Biden would take “all necessary actions” following the strike.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq later claimed that they were responsible for the attack. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an umbrella group that arose in 2023 and is made up of many Iran-aligned militant groups in Iraq. They have also stated that it was behind several other attacks in recent weeks on US bases and forces.
This is the first time since the war in Gaza caused by Hamas’s initial attack in October that an attack has killed US troops. Though other attacks have been made on other US personnel, none have ever caused any casualties. US officials claim that bases in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least 165 times since October 17th, 2023.
The base where the attack took place was later named by US officials as “Tower 22”.
