The United States mistook the drone that killed three of its soldiers in Jordan for one of its own | International

The confusion of an enemy drone with one of its own that was returning to base at the time appears to have been the factor that allowed the attack against an American position in northeast Jordan this Sunday, in which three American soldiers and another 40 people. They were injured, according to military commanders. The incident, the first to kill American soldiers in a hostile act since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, increases pressure on Joe Biden as attacks by pro-Iranian militias multiply in the Middle East and the risk of regional retaliation. the escalation appears greater than ever.

According to the American commanders’ version, the return of the American drone to Tower 22, the attacked outpost near the border with Syria, caused confusion among those responsible for the air defense systems, who did not know whether the approaching aircraft it was his. The doubt caused delays in the activation of defense systems. Two other unmanned aerial vehicles that had attacked other American positions were shot down without causing damage, according to commanders.

The militia drone attacked the barracks that serve as a residential area inside the base, where 350 American soldiers are stationed. Many of them were asleep at the time. In addition to the three deaths, forty other staff members were injured in the accident.

This Monday Biden met with his national security team at the White House to discuss the situation after the attack in northeast Jordan, already close to the border with Syria. Among those in attendance were National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, according to the president’s office.

The coalition of pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq known as the Iraqi Islamic Resistance (IRI) said on Sunday they had attacked three American positions in Jordan, including the Tower 22 base. Iran, which has denied any involvement in the attack US forces described the incident as part of clashes between the US and “resistance groups in the region”.

At the White House press conference, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby refused to confirm that the incident was due to misidentification. He assured, as Biden himself had done the day before, that the United States will respond to the attack: “We are not looking for a war with Iran. We don’t want an escalation. But this weekend’s attack was an escalation, there’s no doubt about that, and that requires a response.” This response, he underlined, will happen: “At the time and place we choose”.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who returned to his office at the Pentagon on Monday after recovering from complications from cancer, expressed a similar sentiment. “Neither the president nor I will tolerate attacks against American forces and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States and our troops,” he said at the start of the meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

In retaliation, the White House and the Pentagon are facing a problem that has surrounded them since the beginning of the crisis: how to react with enough force to avoid a repetition of the attacks and, at the same time, with enough restraint to avoid an escalation of unpredictable consequences.

The figures speak. Since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, American forces have been the target of more than 150 attacks, for which Washington blames pro-Iranian groups in more and more parts of the Middle East for the launch of Houthi missiles from Yemen in the Red Sea area to attack their positions in Iraq and Syria with drones. Added to these are another thirty Houthi attacks against merchant ships.

Until now, the Biden administration had responded with relative moderation to the attacks by these militias. In Yemen, US strikes, alone or in coordination with British forces, had been limited to destroying rebel radars or missile sites. Its retaliatory military actions in Syria also had similar objectives. Time and again, Washington has insisted that it sees no signs that Iran has any interest in being directly involved in the conflict.

Many analysts see Washington’s response after the latest attack as inevitable, but warn of the consequences. The United States “will have to respond forcefully to this attack,” believes William Wechsler, former undersecretary of defense and currently in office. think tank Atlantic Council. But it must ensure that its reaction “minimizes the risk of provoking a broader regional war or forcing the Iraqi government to call for the withdrawal of American troops” who still remain stationed on its territory and whose future the two governments are considering. negotiating. .

Among the options being studied by the Pentagon, experts indicate the seizure of Iranian assets, including ships; attacking Iranian forces outside or inside the country, or continuing its relatively moderate attacks against pro-Iranian militias.

If so far Biden has resisted a direct attack against Tehran, given the risk of regional escalation, Republican voices are calling for an attack against Iranian territory.

On X, the old Twitter, Senator John Cornyn urged to “put Tehran in the spotlight.” He later clarified that he was calling for attacks against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Attack Iran now. “Come at them hard,” urged Senator Lindsey Graham; Senator Tom Cotton stated that “the only response to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iranian terrorist forces, both in Iran and throughout the Middle East. Anything less will establish Joe Biden as a coward who doesn’t deserve to be commander in chief. [estadounidense]”, he threw.

On his social network Truth Social, former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared: “We are on the brink of World War III.” For Trump, Sunday’s attack constitutes a “tragic and horrible consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender”, although he did not ask for a specific American response.

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