By Rabia Ali
ISTANBUL (AA) - Tensions are climbing to worrying heights in the Middle East after a weekend drone strike killed three US soldiers in northeastern Jordan, with US President Joe Biden vowing to "respond" to the incident.
The strike took place near the Syrian border and was the first to lead to US military casualties since Oct. 7, when Israel launched its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip, raising fears of regional spillover.
Also resulting in the injury of at least 34 US troops, it was the latest in a string of attacks on American installations by Iran-backed groups in the region, particularly neighboring Iraq and Syria, in recent months.
The target of Sunday's attack was a facility in northeastern Jordan, known as Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network, where roughly 350 troops are stationed.
A previous attempt had been made on the base on Jan. 4, when US forces intercepted incoming unidentified drones before reaching their target.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group representing several Iraqi armed factions, claimed responsibility for the deadly incident, which has showcased how pressure on US-linked facilities is being intensified in the wake of the fighting in Gaza.
- How many US facilities attacked?
A think tank based in the US, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, has counted at least 171 attacks on US targets in Iraq and Syria since the Gaza war began.
The organization has kept track of such incidents, including drone, rocket, and missile attacks, and reports that the first took place on Oct. 18, when three drones targeted the US' Ain al-Asad military base in Iraq.
That airbase, as well as US assets in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, were the most targeted, while the eastern regions of Conoco, al-Omar, and Shaddadi came under the most fire in Syria.
Drones, 122 mm and 107 mm rockets, as well as missiles, including long-range al-Arqab cruise missiles, have been used in the attacks on US bases and facilities.
- How many casualties?
Besides being the first to result in the death of American soldiers, this weekend's attack in Jordan is considered one of the deadliest on US troops in the Middle East in recent years, according to reports.
While the data by the Washington Institute does not separately list injuries, it notes that an earlier rocket barrage fired on the al-Asad airbase on Jan. 20 led to "three possible US traumatic brain injuries and at least one serious Iraqi casualty."
- Who is claiming responsibility?
The Iraqi group that attacked Tower 22 on Sunday also claimed responsibility for a separate weekend drone strike on the US' Al-Tanf base in southern Syria.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq previously claimed responsibility for attacks on US military facilities and bases in Iraq and Syria.
According to the institute, "Islamic Resistance" is not a group itself, but a collective mechanism to claim attacks by existing US-designated foreign terrorist groups, including Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and non-sanctioned groups like Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.