Iranian-backed terrorists in the Middle East killed three U.S. soldiers and injured dozens more in a drone attack.
The latest terrorist attack against U.S. forces in the Middle East marks that 159th attack that U.S. forces have sustained since mid-October.
“On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack [Unmanned Aircraft System] that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.”
Reuters reported that at least 34 soldiers were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries.
President Joe Biden said in a separate statement that the attack was “carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
“And have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” Biden said.
Foreign policy experts blamed the attack on Biden’s weakness in responding to America’s adversaries.
“This is as enraging as it was predictable. Biden’s strategy for dealing with Iran’s proxies is to respond with half measures out of a fear of escalation,” said Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative. “It is analogous to giving a rampaging mass murderer warning shots rather than trying to eliminate him. It won’t stop him, will enrage and embolden him, and lead to more escalation, and tragically- at the expense of American lives.”