By Athena Papakosta

Three American soldiers were killed and dozens wounded in attack drone against a US base near Jordan-Syria border.

The president of the United States, Joe Bidenattributed the blow to radical groups friends militants, making it clear that there will be a response and underlining that the United States will hold accountable all those behind the attack “when and as we choose.”

It is the first time since the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that American soldiers have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East.

According to an unnamed US official, the number of injured reaches 34. Initially, the United States Central Command spoke of 25. But their number appears to be rising as 34 members of the military are under medical observation for possible traumatic brain injuries.

The attack happened in military base “Tower 22”, which is located in the south-eastern part of Jordan, near the border with Syria, and is used, mainly, in the context of the mission of providing advice and assistance to the forces of Amman. However, the representative of the Jordanian government, Muhammad al-Bubaidin, emphasized on state television that the attack was aimed at the Al-Tanf base, which is located in Syria and is about 12 kilometers north of “Tower 22” while, the same moment, noted that no Jordanian soldiers have been injured.

Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, groups of pro-Iranian fighters have launched attacks against the forces of the United States and its allies in both Iraq and Syria. In particular, American forces have received more than 60 attacks in Iraq and at least 90 in Syria.

The death of the three Americans at the “Tower 22” base is an important one escalation in the Middle East which already looked like a volcano ready to explode.

Already last month, Washington carried out airstrikes against groups linked to Tehran, after the wounding of three American soldiers at a base in northern Iran, while earlier in January another American strike in Baghdad killed an Iraqi militia leader, who – according to the US – was responsible for attacks against US forces in the country.

At the same time, the United States and the United Kingdom continue to carry out a series of joint airstrikes against positions of Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, with the powerful Shiite militia continuing to launch attacks against Israeli or Western interests in the Red Sea “in support of the Palestinians” “, as they say “until the Israeli attacks on Gaza stop”.

At this time, it remains officially unknown which Iranian-backed group is behind the attack in Jordan. Hours earlier, the Islamic Resistance for Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed paramilitary groups, claimed responsibility.

For his part, a Hamas representative emphasized that the attacks against American forces are a message to the American government and underlined that “the continuation of American-Zionist aggression in Gaza risks causing a regional conflagration.”