On Sunday, the US military announced that three service members were killed and at least 25 others were injured in a drone attack on an outpost in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.
The strike marked a significant escalation because it was the first time American servicemen had been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
US military have traditionally utilized Jordan as a base, and the attack occurred in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.
A senior US defense official told Fox News that the number of injured could exceed 25.
According to the official, some of the more than 25 injured have been medically evacuated from the base, most likely to Landstuhl, Germany.
According to the report, it is not clear if they were hit while sleeping in the residential compound at the base.
“On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack UAS that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border. As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the White House said President Biden was briefed Sunday morning by Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer about the attack.
Biden blasted “radical Iran-backed militant groups” in reacting to the attack.
“Today, America’s heart is heavy. Last night, three U.S. service members were killed – and many wounded – during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border.
“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,” he said.