Three US Troops Killed in Drone Strike Linked to Iran 

Satellite view of the US military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan October 12, 2023 in this handout image. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
Satellite view of the US military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan October 12, 2023 in this handout image. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
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Three US Troops Killed in Drone Strike Linked to Iran 

Satellite view of the US military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan October 12, 2023 in this handout image. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
Satellite view of the US military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan October 12, 2023 in this handout image. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

Three US service members were killed and at least 34 wounded in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants on US troops on the Syrian-Jordanian border, President Joe Biden and US officials said on Sunday.   

It is the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October, and marks a major escalation in tensions that have engulfed the Middle East.   

"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," Biden said in a statement.   

"Have no doubt - we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing," he said.   

Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Monday that Tehran was not involved in the attack.   

"Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base," the mission said in a statement published by the state news agency IRNA.   

It added: "There is a conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks."   

Biden asked for a moment of silence for the three killed service members during a campaign event in South Carolina, adding: "We shall respond."   

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin echoed that threat. He and other senior officials briefed Biden earlier in the day on the attack.   

At least 34 personnel were injured in the attack, but that number is expected to change as more people seek care, according to a statement from US Central Command. Eight personnel were evacuated from Jordan for higher level care, but are in stable condition.   

Two US officials said the drone struck near the barracks early in the morning, which could explain the high number of casualties.   

The “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, an umbrella organization of hardline Iran-backed militant groups, claimed attacks on three bases, including one on the Syria-Jordan border.   

The attack is likely to fan fears of wider conflict in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian group Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7 which killed 1,200. Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed over 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.   

Since then, US forces have come under attack more than 150 times by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, causing at least 70 casualties prior to Sunday's attack, most of them traumatic brain injuries.   

US warships have also been fired at by Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen, who are regularly attacking commercial ships passing through Red Sea waters off Yemen's coast.   

While the United States has thus far maintained an official line that Washington is not at war in the region, it has been retaliating against the Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria and carrying out strikes against Yemen's Houthi military capabilities.   

Biden pressured on Iran   

Republican opponents of Biden seized on the attack as evidence of the Democratic president's failure to confront Iran as its proxies strike against US forces across the region.   

"The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces ... Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward," said Republican Senator Tom Cotton in a statement.   

US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Biden's inaction was emboldening enemies of the United States in the Middle East.   

"The time to start taking this aggression seriously was long before more brave Americans lost their lives," McConnell said.   

A senior official with the Iran-backed Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, directly tied the attack to Israel's campaign in Gaza.   

"The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation," he told Reuters.   

"The continued American-Zionist aggression on Gaza is capable of exploding the situation in the region."  

The US military said the attack occurred near the Syrian border.  

The Jordanian government said the attack occurred at an "advanced post" along its border with Syria.   



SARI Global Depicts Alarming Israeli Retaliatory Attack on Houthis

Firefighters work as huge fires erupted at a cement factory in Yemen after the Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against Hodeidah Port and its vicinity.  AL-MASIRAH TV/Handout via REUTERS
Firefighters work as huge fires erupted at a cement factory in Yemen after the Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against Hodeidah Port and its vicinity. AL-MASIRAH TV/Handout via REUTERS
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SARI Global Depicts Alarming Israeli Retaliatory Attack on Houthis

Firefighters work as huge fires erupted at a cement factory in Yemen after the Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against Hodeidah Port and its vicinity.  AL-MASIRAH TV/Handout via REUTERS
Firefighters work as huge fires erupted at a cement factory in Yemen after the Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against Hodeidah Port and its vicinity. AL-MASIRAH TV/Handout via REUTERS

Israeli retaliatory strikes on a missile fired by Yemen's Houthis on Sunday near the country's main international airport, are likely to target military and political headquarters and dual-use assets such as airports, ports, and power stations, the SARI Global center said on Monday.

The center, which provides a comprehensive suite of crisis management, security analysis, and risk mitigation solutions for non-governmental organizations, companies and embassies, warned the Israeli retaliatory strikes could block or slowdown humanitarian aid flows through Hodeidah port, affecting distribution of fuel and food.

The report came shortly before the Israeli army carried out retaliatory airstrikes against Yemen's Hodeidah Port on Monday.

According to SARI Global, the Houthi strikes matter because the Ben Gurion airport has faced attempted drone and missile raids since late 2023.

Yet, it said, every previous projectile was intercepted before crossing the fence.

“Sunday’s blast is therefore the first confirmed Houthi weapon to detonate on airport grounds,” it warned.

Also, the Center said Sunday’s attack on Ben Gurion shows that the Houthis now possess missiles accurate enough to strike a pinpoint civil target and that Israel’s layered defense remains vulnerable to saturation or high-speed profiles.

It said the attacks reveal that a comparatively low-cost missile forced the shutdown of a strategic Israeli asset and created broad commercial disruption.

The Center added that the pattern of similar missile attacks shows a steady progression from harassment of Eilat in 2023 to sustained maritime pressure through 2024, followed by longer-range and higher-speed strikes against critical Israeli infrastructure in 2025.

It then predicted that Israeli and potentially US-led retaliatory strikes are likely to reprise the same operational logic seen in 2024, targeting not only missile infrastructure but also dual-use assets such as airports, ports, and power stations suspected of facilitating Houthi logistics or receiving Iranian material support.

Based on both historical precedent and current Houthi command and logistics structures, the Center listed areas considered high-risk for near-term airstrikes, including the Sanaa Capital District, which hosts political and military headquarters, and the airport previously targeted in December 2024.

Also, it said retaliatory strikes could hit the Harf Sufyan area in the Amran Governorate, known to host long-range missile launch infrastructure, in addition to the Hodeidah and Salif/Ras Kanatib ports, both critical entry points for fuel and goods and were struck in 2024 under claims of missile logistics use.

Israel could also target Hezyaz and surrounding power infrastructure, which are vulnerable to repeated targeting to disrupt command, control, and emergency response capabilities.

“If any of these high-value locations are hit in the coming escalation, humanitarian operations could be immediately and severely impacted,” the Center warned.

It said likely consequences include the suspension of international and humanitarian flights into and out of Sanaa International Airport, the disrupting staff rotations, supply inflow, and medical evacuations, and the blockage or slowdown of humanitarian aid flows through Hodeidah Port, affecting distribution of fuel, food, WASH supplies, and medicines for millions in northern governorates.

In addition, attacks would lead to civilian casualties and mass displacement due to urban strikes in Sanaa and Hodeidah, straining shelter capacities and compounding protection risks and to disruption of electricity and communications infrastructure, especially if power stations or fuel depots are retargeted.

The Center said humanitarian agencies must prepare for both direct operational disruption and indirect effects through broader conflict spillover by planning alternative logistics routes through Aden or Mukalla and prepositioning essential staff and supplies in more stable locations to ensure program continuity.

Humanitarian agencies should also ensure staff safety and evacuation readiness, update relocation and evacuation plans for personnel in Sanaa and Hodeidah and ensure all teams have access to backup communications, satellite phones, and alternate power source.

According to SARI Global’s analysis, the potential scale of Israeli retaliatory operations carries regional implications.

As in previous cycles, it said deep strikes in Yemen may provoke further Houthi retaliation via missiles and drones targeting Red Sea shipping lanes, Israel, or US naval assets.

It noted that while access and safety planning remain critical, so too does coordinated risk communication with donors, local authorities, and community actors to maintain humanitarian space and mitigate reputational or operational backlash amidst intensifying hostilities.