Biden promises reprisals after 3 US soldiers killed, dozens wounded, in Jordan drone attack

“While we’re still gathering facts, this is most assuredly the work of an Iranian-backed militia group,” a second official said.

The deaths marked the first fatalities of US troops in the region since war began in Gaza. Biden said the attack took place on Saturday night.

The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 which killed 1,200. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.

Israel-Gaza war: UN agency under fire after October 7 involvement claims

While the United States has so far maintained an official line that Washington is not at war in the region, it has made strikes against targets of Yemen’s Houthi groups that have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

“We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said in his statement released by the White House.