Accusing pro-Iran groups, US President Joe Biden
promised to respond to the
drone attack in Jordan that killed three US soldiers
and more than thirty were injured and in which Iran denied any responsibility on Monday.
It is
the first time that American soldiers have died in the Middle East
since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, on October 7, which once again raises fears
of an escalation of tensions
with the latent conflict between Israel and Iran as a backdrop.
In this context, the Iraqi government on Monday condemned this attack in the middle of the desert on the border between Jordan, Iraq and Syria, called for "the spiral of violence to cease" and declared itself willing to help in "the elaboration of fundamental rules of engagement to avoid new repercussions in the region and prevent the conflict from spreading".
U.S. Central Command reported late Sunday that an attack had hit
a logistics support base at Tower 22
in northeastern Jordan, wounding at least 34 service members, eight of whom had to be evacuated. evacuated from the country.
There are about 350 US Army and Air Force personnel
at the base
who carry out "a series of key support functions", among others, for the international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group, he said.
"We will respond," Biden said on the sidelines of a visit to South Carolina.
"Today, America's heart is heavy. Last night, three American service members were killed, and several wounded, in a drone attack against our forces based in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria," he said.
"We know it was carried out by
Iranian-backed radical fighter groups
operating in Syria and Iraq," Biden said.
"Rest assured, we will hold those responsible accountable, whenever and however we see fit," she added.
Iran denies involvement
However, Iran responded through its permanent representation to the UN that it
"has no link or anything to do with the attack
on the US base", which it attributed to a "conflict between the United States and resistance groups in the region." ", according to a bulletin from the official Iranian agency Irna.
"Rest assured, we will hold those responsible accountable, whenever and however we see fit," Biden said.
Photo: AP
"These groups respond to the war crimes and genocide committed by the Zionist regime," declared Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanaani, referring to Israel.
"They decide their actions based on their own principles," he added, quoted by Irna.
Iran also announced on Monday
the execution by hanging of four men accused of spying for Israel.
Criticism from Republicans
In this election year in the United States, Biden's Republican opponents were quick to criticize his performance.
Donald Trump denounced the
Democrat's "weakness and abandonment" on Sunday.
For his part, Jordanian government spokesman Muhanad Mubaidin criticized "the terrorist attack that targeted an advanced position on the border with Syria," hitting US troops "who are cooperating with Jordan to confront terrorism and ensure the border".
The governments of Bahrain and Egypt also condemned the attack, as did that of the United Kingdom, whose Foreign Minister David Cameron called on
Iran to "de-escalate in the region."
Which group claimed responsibility for the attack in Jordan?
In its Telegram account, the
Islamic Resistance in Iraq,
an alliance of
armed groups linked to Iran
that rejects US support for Israel, claimed responsibility for the "attacks carried out on Sunday at dawn with drones" against three bases in Syrian territory, including They are those of Al Tanf and Rukban, very close to each other, on the border with Jordan.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the soldiers' deaths "are a message to the American government that unless the murder of innocents in Gaza stops,
it could confront the entire Muslim nation."
"The continuation of US-Zionist aggression in Gaza could cause a regional explosion," he added.
More than 150 attacks
The United States and allied forces in Iraq and Syria
have been the target of more than 150 attacks
since mid-October, according to the Pentagon.
This is a direct repercussion of the war in Gaza between Israel, an ally of Washington, and Hamas, backed by Iran.
Many of these attacks against US personnel were claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
On the other hand, since this January, the United States has been bombing, with the support of the United Kingdom, positions of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, a pro-Iranian group that attacks international merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
In addition to the war in Gaza, Israel holds almost daily armed exchanges with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel also intensified its attacks against Syria and against pro-Iranian groups based there.