Three US Soldiers Killed And 34 Others Injured In Drone Attacks, President Biden: We Will Ask For Accountability

United States President Joe Biden. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

Three people were killed and dozens injured, as a result of a drone strike on US troops stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden and US officials said on Sunday.

Two US officials said the drone attacked near the barracks in the morning, which could explain the high death toll.

President Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly attack on US forces since the Israeli-Hamas war erupted in October, adding to tensions in the Middle East.

"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know the attack was carried out by Iran-backed radical militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," President Biden said in a statement.

"Don't hesitate, we will hold all parties accountable at the time and way we choose," he said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also made similar threats. He and other senior officials briefed President Biden on the attack.

At least 34 personnel were evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries, a US official told Reuters, speaking without naming. Two different officials said several injured US troops were evacuated medically from the base for further treatment.

Meanwhile, the umbrella organization of a hardline militant group backed by Iran claimed to have carried out attacks on three bases, including one on the Jordan-Suriah border.

The attack is a major escalation of the tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza following a Hamas group attack on Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people. Israel's retaliatory attacks in Gaza have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.

Since then, US troops have been attacked more than 150 times by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, causing at least 70 casualties before Sunday's attack, most of them suffering a traumatic brain injury.

US warships have also been fired upon by Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, which regularly attack commercial ships passing through the waters of the Red Sea off Yemen's coast.

It is known that although the United States has so far maintained its official statement that it is not at war in the region, Washington has retaliated against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria and carried out attacks on Houthi military capabilities in Yemen.