After Jordan drone attack, US has few options to de-escalate with Iran
The Biden White House faces increasing pressure to respond to the deadliest attack on the US military since 2021 as Israel's war in Gaza thrusts some 30,000 troops in the Middle East closer toward war with Iran and its proxies.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday said an attack that killed three US troops at a remote base on Jordan’s border with Syria bore “the footprints of Kataib Hezbollah” but is reserving judgment until the military completes its investigation.
Three soldiers assigned to the US Army’s 718th Engineer Company were killed when an unmanned drone struck living quarters at the Tower 22 base before dawn on Sunday, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, Sabrina Singh, told reporters.
More than 40 US personnel were reported injured, eight of whom were medically evacuated outside of Jordan, including three to Landstuhl, Germany, for further care, Singh said.
“In terms of attribution for the attack, we know this is an IRGC-backed militia. It has the footprint of Kataib Hezbollah, but [I’m] not making a final assessment on that,” she said.
