President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. “shall respond” after three American troops were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight drone strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden, who was traveling in South Carolina, asked for a moment of silence during an appearance at a Baptist church’s banquet hall.
“We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” he said. After the moment of silence, Biden added, “and we shall respond.”
With an increasing risk of military escalation in the region, U.S. officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.
Biden said in a written statement that the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said “we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”
The U.S. military base at al-Tanf in Syria is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Tower 22. The Jordanian installation provides a critical logistical hub for U.S. forces in Syria, including those at al-Tanf, which is near the intersection of the Iraq, Syria and Jordan borders.
Jordanian state television quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a government spokesman, as insisting the attack happened across the border in Syria.
U.S. troops long have used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as a basing point. Some 3,000 American troops typically are stationed across Jordan, but the number at Tower 22 wasn’t immediately known and isn’t routinely disclosed.
Since the war in Gaza began Oct. 7, Iranian-backed militias have struck American military installations in Iraq more than 60 times and in Syria more than 90 times, with a mix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles. The attack Sunday was the first targeting American troops in Jordan during the Israel-Hamas war and the first to result in the loss of American lives. Scores of U.S. personnel have been wounded, including some with traumatic brain injuries, during the attacks.
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.
“I am confident the Biden Administration will respond in a deliberate and proportional manner,” said Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Republicans in Congress said the administration’s approach had failed to deter America’s adversaries in the region.
“We need a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests,” said Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham went further, urging the administration “to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces but as deterrence against future aggression. The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force.”
Biden, who was in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday, was briefed in the morning by Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. In the afternoon, he met virtually with Vice President Kamala Harris and his national security team for an update.
The president, in the written statement, called it a “despicable and wholly unjust attack” and said the service members were “risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. It is a fight we will not cease.”
Syria is still in the midst of a civil war and long has been a launch pad for Iranian-backed forces there, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Iraq has multiple Iranian-backed Shiite militias operating there as well.
Jordan, a staunch Western ally and a crucial power in Jerusalem for its oversight of holy sites there, is suspected of launching airstrikes in Syriato disrupt drug smugglers, including one that killed nine people earlier this month.
___
Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
5 comments
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" Ameriecan
January 28, 2024 at 6:42 pm
Joe will either:
1.) Deliver a weak and laughable response which will serve to embolden our enemies after they finish laughing at the “Dottard”.
OR:
2.) Deliver a miss-guided total €FF-Up of a response which will start WW111.
WE NEED TRUMP ASAP!!!!
Thank you America,
Earl Pitts American
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" Ameriecan
January 28, 2024 at 7:22 pm
I wonder who told Joe to say that?
How ya doing 8arak 0bama?
EPA
PeterH
January 28, 2024 at 7:25 pm
The Biden administration is packed with highly qualified educated professionals…..with expertise in civilian and military matters. I’m absolutely certain the response will be measured and thorough!
Impeach Biden
January 28, 2024 at 7:55 pm
Bullies are punching him in the mouth on a daily basis. He will make a response but the attacks on US personnel and facilities overseas will continue because none of the bullies out there really fear him. Chaos in the Middle East to go along with chaos on the Southern Border. Spin that Peter H.
Simp Floridians
January 29, 2024 at 3:59 am
President Biden has cucked you betas into ashes.
Comments are closed.