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US Base Attack: ANGER After Three US Troops Killed, 34 Injured in Drone Strike on US Base in Middle East by Radical Iran-Backed Militant Groups

President Biden said US “Will Respond” after American troops killed and 34 injured in an overnight drone strike in Jordan near Syrian border. UK Foreign Secretary Cameron condemns Iran-backed militias after US troops killed in Jordan




UK Warship Shoots Down Houthi Drone in The Red Sea

MailOnline 29 JAN 2024





President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the US “shall respond” after three American troops were killed and dozens more were injured in an overnight drone strike in north-east Jordan near the Syrian border.


Mr Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first US fatalities after months of strikes by such groups against American forces across the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Mr Biden, who was travelling in South Carolina, asked for a moment of silence during an appearance at a Baptist church’s banquet hall.

“We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” he said. After the moment of silence, Mr Biden added, “and we shall respond”.


With an increasing the risk of military escalation in the region, US officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.

Mr Biden said in a written statement that the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing”.




What is Tower 22, Site of The Attack on US Troops in Jordan?






LOCATION

Tower 22 holds a strategically important location in Jordan, at the most northeastern point where the country's borders meet Syria and Iraq.


PURPOSE

Little is publicly known about the base. But it is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of U.S. troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a U.S. strategy to contain Iran's military build-up in eastern Syria.


Tower 22 is located close enough to U.S. troops at Tanf that it could potentially help support them, while also potentially countering Iran-backed militants in the area and allowing troops to keep an eye on remnants of Islamic State in the region.


U.S. TROOPS IN JORDAN

Jordan's army is one of the largest recipients of Washington's foreign military financing.

The kingdom has hundreds of U.S. trainers and is one of the few regional allies that hold extensive exercises with U.S. troops throughout the year.

Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Washington has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Amman set up an elaborate surveillance system known as the Border Security Programme to stem infiltration by militants from Syria and Iraq.


MANY UNKNOWNS

It is unclear how many U.S. troops are actually stationed on Tower 22. Also unclear are the type of weapons kept, air defenses used, and what exactly went wrong.





UK Warship Shoots Down Houthi Drone in The Red Sea...

In a remarkable display of military prowess, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond thwarted a Houthi rebel attack drone targeting the ship. Employing its state-of-the-art Sea Viper air defense system, the destroyer successfully shot down the drone, preventing any damage or injuries.




Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Diamond





A view of the HMS Diamond, from the ship's bridge, firing her Sea Viper missiles at an incoming Houthi drone









Images shared by the French military based in the UAE showed huge fireballs erupting from the Marlin Luanda after it was struck by a Houthi missile





Armed Houthi supporters stand near paintings depicting Houthi's political council head Mahdi al-Mashat, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, at a street in Sana'a, Yemen, January 3


HMS Diamond shoots down illegal Houthi drone attack in latest Red Sea skirmish - as Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says Britain is 'undaunted' by Iran-backed rebel strikes...


A British warship last night shot down an illegal Houthi drone attack in a new Red Sea skirmish.

Crew on the HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone strike from the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group as spiralling tensions in the Middle East threaten to blow out into a full-scale regional war.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps today said on Twitter/X: 'The UK remains undaunted after yesterday's illegal attack on @HMSDiamond by the Iranian-backed Houthis. Our commitment to protect innocent lives and the freedom of navigation is absolutely unwavering.'

The Ministry of Defence said: 'Yesterday HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea. Deploying her Sea Viper missile system, Diamond destroyed a drone targeting her, with no injuries or damaged sustained to Diamond or her crew.

'These intolerable and illegal attacks are completely unacceptable, and it is our duty to protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. We want to thank the brave crew of HMS Diamond for their service to defend British and international interests.'






TIMELINE- At LEAST 150 Iran-Backed Attacks on US, UK & Allied Troops in The Middle East Since 7 Oct.


The unmanned aerial drone attack that killed three U.S. service members and wounded dozens in northeastern Jordan on Sunday is the latest by Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

The groups oppose Israel's campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 26,000, and hold the U.S. partly responsible. They have attacked U.S. troops in the region over 150 times since the war started in response to Hamas's October 7 attack in Israel that killed about 1,200.


About 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq and 900 in Syria to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State militants.



Here is a timeline of major attacks since then:

OCT. 18 - U.S. forces in Iraq are targeted in two separate drone attacks. One of the drones is intercepted but still explodes, causing minor injuries and damaging some equipment.

OCT. 19 - U.S. forces in Syria bring down two drones targeting them, leading to some minor injuries. Separately, drones and rockets target two bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq.

OCT. 26 - An Iran-backed militia launches a drone at an air base that penetrates U.S. air defenses and crashes into the barracks housing American troops but fails to detonate. A service member suffers a concussion from the impact.

NOV. 17 - U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are attacked three times; a drone attack in Syria injures a service member who quickly returns to duty while two other attacks in Iraq fail to cause damage or injuries.

NOV. 23 - U.S. and international forces in northeastern Syria are attacked with drones and rockets four times in 24 hours, but suffer no casualties and only minor damage.

DEC. 25 - A one-way drone attack in Iraq by Iran-aligned militants leaves one U.S. service member in critical condition and wounds two other U.S. personnel.

JAN. 9 - A U.S. air strike on a rocket launcher foils an attack on an air base in Iraq.

JAN. 20 - Four U.S. personnel suffer traumatic brain injuries after Iran-backed militias fire multiple ballistic missiles and rockets at an air base in Iraq.



US Troops Killed: Pressure Mounts on Biden as He Blames Radical Iran-Backed Militant Groups








UK Warship Shoots Down Houthi Drone in Red Sea