Pro-Iranian militia
Three US soldiers killed in Jordan – Joe Biden threatens retaliation
US soldiers train in Jordan
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The USA has long feared that the conflict in the Middle East could spread. Now a deadly attack on US soldiers is likely to further aggravate the situation. US President Joe Biden announces retaliation.
According to information from Washington, three were involved in a drone operation by a suspected pro-Iranian combat group in Jordan US soldiers killed. The US Central Command for the Middle East (Centcom) said 25 soldiers were injured in the attack on a military base in the northeast of the country near the border with Syria on Sunday night.
First US casualties since the start of the Gaza war
It was the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas that US soldiers died from enemy fire. The deadly attack fuels fears of a further escalation of the conflict.
US President Joe Biden blamed a pro-Iranian group for the attack. “While we are still gathering the facts about this attack, we already know that it was carried out by a radical, Iran-backed militant group operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said.
At the same time he announced retaliation. “Have no doubt: We will hold all those responsible accountable at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” said the US President.
According to the US Department of Defense, soldiers of the US Army and its allies in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 150 times since mid-October. The US Army responded with repeated attacks in both countries. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of armed groups with ties to Iran that condemn the US’s siding with Israel in the Gaza war, has claimed responsibility for many attacks on US soldiers.
USA supports Israel
On October 7th, the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas carried out a brutal major attack on Israel and, according to Israeli information, killed around 1,140 people and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. The USA then sent military support to Israel, which is taking massive military action against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas receives support from a self-described “axis of resistance” against Israel, which also includes the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Because of attacks by Houthi rebels on international ships in the Red Sea, the US Army has repeatedly bombed suspected Houthi positions in Yemen in recent weeks.