American casualties have been taken overseas in an escalation of Middle Eastern conflict.
Three fatalities from a drone attack were reported by CNN:
Three American service members were killed and at least two dozen were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.
The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan near the border with Syria is a significant escalation of an already-precarious situation in the Middle East.
On Sunday, US Central Command issued a statement confirming that three service personnel were killed and 25 wounded in a one-way drone strike that “impacted at a base in northeast Jordan.”
As of Friday, there have been over 158 strikes against US and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria, the CNN report noted, yet authorities have classified the relentless barrage of drones, rockets, and missiles as ineffective since they have seldom resulted in major injury or damage to infrastructure.
It’s unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone, which seems to be the first documented strike on Tower 22 since US and partner soldiers were targeted on October 17. The US soldiers at the outpost are there to advise and support Jordan.
U.S. officials have frequently said that they do not want to see the Middle East’s rising tensions escalate into a regional conflict.
When asked last week whether the Pentagon believed Iranian proxies were increasing their assaults on US soldiers, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said, “Not necessarily, no.”
In the Red Sea, American and British naval vessels have been repelling attacks on merchant vessels as well as retaliating with counter-offensives.
Following the Houthi’s repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the US and UK have launched a series of strikes against the Yemeni fighters.
The Houthis are an Iranian-backed rebel organization that views Israel as an enemy.
In reaction to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis began launching drones and missiles against Israel. The majority have been intercepted.
On Friday, the US hit and destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile pointed into the Red Sea and about to be launched, according to US Central Command.
“US Forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region,” Central Command said.
“US Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense.”
Since Hamas’ October 7 bombings and the subsequent Israeli invasion in Gaza, Iran’s supporters have escalated violence across the region, while the US has increased its presence in the Middle East.
The United States claims there are no “imminent developments” on a deal to ensure the release hostages being held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.
The White House Middle East coordinator concluded his talks in the area on Friday, and CIA Director Bill Burns is scheduled to meet with Israel and Egypt’s intelligence chiefs, as well as the Qatari prime minister, in the coming days to explore a possible compromise.
Hamas, meanwhile, published a manipulated video of three female captives in an apparent effort to put pressure on Israeli officials to come to a cease-fire agreement.
