Shiite movement in Iraq claims responsibility for attack on US base

A militant drone attack killed three U.S. service members and injured at least 34 in Jordan on January 28, officials said, marking the first deadly military action against American troops since the war in Gaza triggered a steep rise in violence across the Middle East.

President Biden blamed the assault on groups supported by Iran, generating immediate questions about when, where and how forcefully the United States might respond, The Washington Post reports.

Speaking during a visit to South Carolina, Biden referenced the loss of “three brave souls.”

“We had a tough day last night in the Middle East,” he said, before leading a moment of silence. “And we shall respond.”

As the tally of attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria has surged to more than 160 since October, the Pentagon has carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian proxies there. But to the frustration of many in Washington, those actions, along with a parallel campaign of strikes on Iranian-linked rebels in Yemen, have failed to end the violence, and the president’s critics used the incident on January 28 to ramp up their demands for more aggressive countermeasures.

The deadly attack targeted a facility known as Tower 22 in northeast Jordan, close to where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan converge.

A U.S. defence official said the one-way drone struck the base’s living quarters, causing injuries that ranged from cuts and bruises to brain trauma. About 350 troops are stationed at the base.

Jordan’s government condemned the attack and said Jordanian troops had suffered no casualties. Government spokesperson Muhannad Mubaideen said Jordan would “continue to counter-terrorism and the smuggling of drugs and weapons across the Syrian border into Jordan, and will confront with firmness and determination anyone who attempts to attack the security of the Kingdom.”

It was not immediately clear where the attack was launched from, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the incident. Military commanders are working to determine that information and, crucially, why U.S. air defences failed to intercept the drone.

Eight personnel required evacuation out of Jordan for “higher level care, but they are in stable condition,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement Sunday night. The identities of those slain were not disclosed, pending family notifications. Biden, in his statement, called them “patriots in the highest sense.”

Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, described the incident as a “game changer” in the intensifying standoff between Tehran and Washington.

The attack’s lethal outcome “means that Biden’s response is going to have to be more significant than everything he’s done until now,” he said. “It forces Biden’s hand.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for Iranian-linked militias including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a senior official with the organization, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with rules set by the group.

“If the U.S. keeps supporting Israel, there will be escalations,” the Islamic Resistance in Iraq official said. “All U.S. interests in the region are legitimate targets and we don’t care about U.S. threats to respond. … Martyrdom is our prize.”

Friction between the two countries has worsened in recent weeks, as U.S. forces have fought back against the rise in Iranian proxy attacks. On Jan. 4, the Biden administration launched a rare retaliatory strike on a base belonging to a militia in central Baghdad, killing the group’s commander. U.S. officials said at the time that it was hoped the strike would serve as a deterrent against further hostility toward U.S. troops. Instead, the attacks have grown more ambitious.