Iran rejected any role in the drone strike that wounded over thirty military personnel and claimed the lives of three US Army soldiers.
Iran has denied any involvement in the drone attack that killed 3 United States (U.S.) Army soldiers and injured more than 30 service members.
The soldiers were attacked overnight on Tower 22 in Jordan near the border with Syria. As per reports, the drone was fired by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria. It is still being determined which militia group specifically is responsible.
Taking it to X, the President of the U.S. – Joe Biden tweeted,
Last night, three U.S. service members were killed, and many wounded, during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 28, 2024
Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen in grieving the loss of these warriors in this…
Meanwhile, Iran has denied any involvement in the attack, terming the accusations of Iranian involvement as baseless. The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson – Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement that “regional resistance” groups do not take orders from Iran.
He said, “As we have clearly stated before, the resistance groups in the region are responding [to] the war crimes and genocide of the child-killing Zionist regime and… they do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He further said, “These groups decide and act based on their own principles and priorities as well as the interests of their country and people.”
Tehran’s denial came after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of a number of Iran-backed militias in the country, said in a statement Sunday it attacked a number of targets along the Jordan-Syria border, including the Al-Rukban camp. The camp is in close proximity to the U.S. outpost Tower 22.
As of now, there have been more than 158 attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the constant volley of drones, rockets, and missiles as unsuccessful as they have frequently not caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure. There are approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base.
The U.S. has taken several retaliatory actions against the Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. Last week, the U.S. struck 3 facilities in Iraq used by Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-affiliated groups. The U.S. has also been engaged with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, carrying out multiple strikes.
The Biden Administration has been criticized, primarily by Republicans, for not taking strong enough action against the Iran-backed groups for their attacks. It is to be noted that Presidential polls in the U.S. will be held this year.
