CNN —Three US Army soldiers were killed and at least two dozen service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.
The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan near the border with Syria is a significant escalation of an already-precarious situation in the Middle East.
Officials said the drone was fired by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria.
US officials have repeatedly said they do not want to see the increasingly high tensions across the Middle East broaden into a regional war.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Garrett Illerbrunn from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade was set to be sent back to the US for further treatment after he critically injured in a drone attack on Erbil Airbase.
Persons:
Joe Biden, ”, Sabrina Singh, “, CQ Brown, —, Garrett Illerbrunn
Organizations:
CNN, US Army, Officials, Central Command, Pentagon, ABC News, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Christmas, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, US
Locations:
Jordan, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Erbil Airbase