Three US soldiers killed and at least two dozen others injured in a drone strike in Jordan

(CNN) — Three US service members were killed and at least two dozen wounded in an overnight drone strike on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by fire. The enemy in the Middle East has been involved in the war in Gaza since the beginning.

The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan, near the Syrian border, is a significant escalation in an already uncertain situation in the Middle East.

The United States Central Command confirmed in a statement issued this Sunday that three service members were killed and 25 were injured in a unilateral drone strike that “hit a base in northeastern Jordan.”

President Joe Biden promised to hold “accountable” those responsible for the attack this Sunday and said that, while data is still being collected, “we know this was a direct result of radical extremists supported by Iran operating in Syria and Iraq.” Was done by groups.”

“These service members embodied the best of our nation: unwavering in their bravery. unwavering in their duty. unwavering in their commitment to our country, risking their safety to protect their fellow Americans and our allies and partners.” “We support the fight against terrorism… (we) have no doubt: we will hold accountable all those responsible whenever and however we can.”

As of Friday, there had been more than 158 attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the sustained bombardment of drones, rockets and missiles as unsuccessful, often resulting in no serious casualties or injuries. Infrastructure was damaged.

It is unclear why air defenses failed to stop the drones, in what appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces began last October 17. US forces are present at the post as part of an advise and assist mission with Jordan.

US officials have repeatedly said they do not want rising tensions in the Middle East to escalate into a regional war. Asked last week whether the Pentagon believed Iranian proxies were increasing their attacks on U.S. forces, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said, “Not necessarily, no.”

In a pre-recorded interview with ABC News broadcast Sunday morning, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown said the United States’ job “is to make sure that, as things have happened in the Middle East, the conflict No extension of.”

“The goal is to stop them; we don’t want to pursue a path forward that would lead to much broader conflict in the region,” he said.

Dozens of injuries have occurred since the attacks began (a senior military official told reporters last week that about 70 were injured), but the Pentagon has downplayed most of the injuries, except for one American soldier who was seriously injured. Classified as minor. Attack in Iraq on Christmas Day.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn, of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, was flown back to the United States for further treatment after being seriously injured in a drone strike on Erbil Air Base.

The United States has carried out several retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, including last week when it struck three facilities used by Kata’ib Hezbollah and other Iran-allied groups in Iraq.

The killing of the three Americans comes as the United States and Iraq are expected to soon begin talks on the future of the American military presence in the country.

This is a developing story and will be updated