3 Americans killed, dozens wounded in drone attack on U.S. military base in Jordan, U.S. says

Three American military members were killed and dozens were wounded in a drone strike in Jordan, President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday. Biden blamed the attack on Iran-backed militia groups and said that the U.S. "shall respond."

According to Biden, an unmanned drone attack targeted U.S. forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border.

A spokesperson for Jordan's government, Muhannad al Mubaidin, told Jordanian public broadcaster on Sunday that the attack was not on Jordanian soil but took place in Syria. Mubaidin said the drone strike had targeted the U.S. Al-Tanf base in Syria.

U.S. troops long have used Jordan, a close American ally, as a military base in the Middle East. Some 3,000 American troops typically are stationed in Jordan.

"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," Biden said in his statement.

Iran denies involvement in attack

Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Monday that Tehran was not involved in the attack.

"Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S. base," the mission said in a statement published by the state news agency IRNA.

Biden asked for a moment of silence for the three killed service members during a campaign event in South Carolina, adding: "We shall respond."

A U.S. official told Reuters that about 34 personnel are being monitored for possible traumatic brain injuries in the aftermath of the attack on Saturday night, and some are being medically evacuated from the base due to their injuries. 

The Pentagon has not yet released details on the types of injuries sustained, but traumatic brain injury is a common occurrence after a large blast.

The Canadian Armed Forces, which has about 200 members stationed in the Middle East, said none were involved or harmed in the drone attack. Canadian troops have been stationed in the Middle East since 2014 as part of a global coalition to impose "stability and security" in the region and will be there until at least March 2025.

Another U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not made public, said a large drone struck the base, which two other American officials identified as an installation in Jordan known as Tower 22. It is along the Syrian border and is used largely by troops to "advise and assist" Jordanian forces. 

Drone struck near sleeping quarters

The small installation, which Jordan does not publicly disclose, includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and security troops. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the troops were deployed there "to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS." Three officials said the drone struck near the troops' sleeping quarters, which they said explained the high casualty count.

The deaths marked the first fatalities of U.S. troops in the region since war began in Gaza, following the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas-led militants in which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.

Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza, backed by U.S. military funding and weapons, has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.

Since the start of the war, U.S. bases and personnel in the region have faced multiple drone and missile attacks. In October, U.S. fighter jets launched airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iranian officials have openly criticized the U.S. for providing weapons to Israel that have been used to strike Gaza in response, resulting in civilian deaths.

The militias have said that their strikes are in retaliation for Washington's support for Israel in the war in Gaza and have also said they aim to push U.S. forces out of the region.

The U.S. in recent months has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen to respond to attacks on American forces in the region and to deter Iran-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Biden said the United States "will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing" and that the U.S. "will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism."