Update: On Monday afternoon, the Pentagon confirmed the identities of the three service members killed in the attack. Read below for details.
The United States Military confirmed on Sunday that three American servicemembers had been killed and dozens more wounded in a drone attack on a military base in northeastern Jordan. The strike, which has been traced to a militant group backed by Iran, has ratcheted up regional tensions with the US. President Joe Biden has vowed retaliation and American officials are calling for direct military action against the Iranian government.
“On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack [Unmanned Aircraft System] that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border,” read a statement from US Central Command. The attack, reportedly conducted via an explosive “suicide drone,” struck the logistics support base located at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network early Sunday morning local time (late on Saturday Eastern time).
The number of injured was later updated to at least 34 in a follow-up statement, but that number is expected to change as additional medical screenings are conducted. Alongside shrapnel and explosive injuries, Reuters reported that multiple individuals were being evaluated for traumatic brain injuries. The identities of the three service members killed in the attack were withheld until their next of kin can be notified in accordance with Department of Defense (DoD) policies.
Update: On Monday, the Department of Defense identifed the three soldiers as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. All three were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia.
This marks the 159th attack launched against American forces in the Middle East since mid-October in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, but it is notably the first to claim lives.
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In a separate statement, President Biden revealed that the drone strike had been linked to “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
“Have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” the president vowed.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the group reportedly claiming responsibility for the attack, is a loosely-organized collection of independent military groups, most of which are backed by Iran. It is believed that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) has a hand in organizing these groups and helping them select their targets, allowing Iran to use the “Islamic Resistance” umbrella term to obscure responsibility.
Iran is accused of conducting similar operations with the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip—all of which have escalated their campaigns against Israel and its allies and supporters.
However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a declaration on Monday calling the president’s allegations “a repetition of baseless accusations” and insisting that Iran’s hands are clean.
Related: Navy Identifies Two SEALs Who Disappeared While Intercepting Iranian Weapons Shipment
“The groups in the region do not take orders from Iran,” Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. “War is not a solution. An immediate cease-fire in Gaza can lead to the return of peace.”
But in light of the evidence tying Iran to various terrorist groups, American elected officials quickly began calling for an aggressive response, with the fiercest calls coming from hawkish members of the US Congress and Senate.
“I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) echoed this sentiment, urging an end to “hesitation and half-measures.”
“Our enemies are emboldened,” he said. “And they will remain so until the United States imposes serious, crippling costs – not only on front-line terrorist proxies, but on their Iranian sponsors who wear American blood as a badge of honor.”
“The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” said Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR). “Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief.”
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) stated simply “Target Tehran,” and was joined by Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who mused that it might be “time to kill another Iranian general.”
Target Tehran https://t.co/KLzQC9zRC0
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 28, 2024
I’m deeply saddened to learn three of our finest were killed and dozens more injured today by a drone strike. The attack originated from radical militia groups, but make no mistake, Iran is responsible. Iran backs these groups and often directs them.
No more weak,…
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 29, 2024
The aforementioned Congressmen, as well as many other officials and foreign policy experts, also placed blame on President Biden’s perceived weakness internationally, which is said to have emboldened America’s enemies. Former President Donald Trump shared this assessment in a three-part post on Truth Social, touting his own record of keeping Iran in check and calling for a “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH” policy.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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