Biden vows to respond after 3 U.S. troops die in drone attack by Iran-backed militia

President Biden said Sunday that the U.S. “shall respond” after three American troops were killed and dozens injured in an overnight drone strike in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for what were the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by the groups against American forces across the Middle East, amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The president, who was traveling in South Carolina, asked for a moment of silence during an appearance at a Baptist church.

“We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” he said. After the moment of silence, Biden added, “and we shall respond.”

With an increasing risk of military escalation in the region, U.S. officials were working to conclusively identify who was responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.

Biden said in a written statement that the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing.” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said, “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops and our interests.”

Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria have begun evacuating their posts, fearing U.S. airstrikes, according to Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist who heads the Deir Ezzor 24 media outlet.

According to a U.S. official, the number of troops wounded by the one-way attack drone rose to at least 34. Another official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not made public, said a large drone struck the base, which two other officials identified as an installation in Jordan known as Tower 22. It is along the Syrian border and is used largely by troops involved in the advise-and-assist mission for Jordanian forces.

The small installation, which Jordan does not publicly disclose, includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and security troops. Austin said the troops were deployed there “to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS.” Three officials said the drone struck near the sleeping quarters, which explained the high casualty count.

The U.S. military base at Al Tanf in Syria is just 12 miles north of Tower 22. The installation provides a critical logistical hub for U.S. forces in Syria, including those at Al Tanf, which is near the intersection of the borders of Iraq, Syria and Jordan.

In a statement on Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency, the country “condemned the terrorist attack” aimed at U.S. troops. The report described the drone strike as targeting “an outpost on the border with Syria” and said it did not wound any Jordanian troops.

“Jordan will 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,” said the statement, attributed to Muhannad Mubaidin, a government spokesman.

U.S. troops have long used Jordan — which borders Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria — as a basing point. Some 3,000 U.S. troops typically are stationed in Jordan.

Since Israel’s war on Hamas began in the Gaza Strip, Iranian-backed militias have struck U.S. military installations in Iraq more than 60 times and in Syria more than 90 times, with a mix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles.

The attack Sunday was the first to target U.S. troops in Jordan during the war and the first to result in the loss of American lives. Other attacks have left troops seriously injured, including with traumatic brain injuries.

The militias have said their strikes are in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza and have said they aim to push U.S. forces out of the region.

The U.S. in recent months has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in response to attacks on American forces in the region and to deter Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

“I am confident the Biden administration will respond in a deliberate and proportional manner,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Republicans in Congress said the Biden administration’s approach had failed to deter U.S. adversaries in the region.

“We need a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) went further, urging the administration “to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces but as deterrence against future aggression. The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force.”

Biden, who was in Columbia, S.C., was briefed by Austin, national security advisor Jake Sullivan and principal deputy national security advisor Jon Finer, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The president was expected to meet again with his national security team later Sunday.

In his statement, Biden cited the “despicable and wholly unjust attack” and said the service members were “risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. It is a fight we will not cease.”

Syria is in the midst of a civil war and has long been a launch pad for Iranian-backed forces, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Iraq has Iranian-backed Shiite militias operating there as well.

Jordan, a staunch Western ally and a crucial power in Jerusalem for its oversight of holy sites there, is suspected of launching airstrikes in Syria to disrupt drug smugglers, including one this month that killed nine people.

An umbrella group for Iran-backed factions known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq earlier claimed that it had launched explosive drone attacks targeting three areas in Syria, as well as one inside “occupied Palestine.” The group has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks against bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Three officials with Iran-backed militias in Iraq, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with journalists, said the drone attack against the base in Jordan was launched by one of the Iraqi groups. No faction has officially claimed responsibility.

Officials said the U.S. military was not tracking any other attacks on its forces Sunday in the region.