Former President Donald Trump expressed his "profound sympathies" to the families of the three U.S. service members killed in an attack by Iran-backed militants on Sunday, blaming President Joe Biden for "this terrible day."
The Pentagon confirmed to Newsweek on Sunday that three U.S. military personnel were killed and more than 30 injured by a drone strike in Jordan, a close Middle Eastern ally to the United States. Biden blamed the strike on Iran-backed militants, with officials saying the attack had been launched from Syria. The troops were stationed near the Jordan-Syrian border.
"This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden's weakness and surrender," Trump, who is currently running for the GOP's presidential nomination to again challenge Biden, wrote in a series of Truth Social posts about the attack. He went on to tout his tough stance against Iran as president, saying that this attack "would NEVER have happened if" he was still in the White House.
"This terrible day is yet more proof that we need an immediate return to PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, so that there will be no more chaos, no more destruction, and no more loss of precious American lives. Our Country cannot survive with Joe Biden as Commander in Chief," the former president wrote.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates responded to Republican criticism of Biden in an email to Newsweek, calling it "illogical and detrimental to our safety and security." He said that the "same militias" carried out attacks on U.S. troops during Trump's presidency.
"As President Biden said today, we will respond decisively at a time and place of our choosing. President Biden has acted swiftly and forcefully to hold the Iranian backers of these hostile groups accountable – including with multiple air strikes," Bates said.
"Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen—and Americans across the country—in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack. These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery," Biden said in a statement released by the White House after the news broke.
During remarks at a church in South Carolina, Biden said: "We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases."
After moment of silence, the president said, "and we shall respond."
The situation in the Middle East has grown increasingly precarious for the U.S. and its forces stationed there since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and approximately took 250 people hostage. Israel responded by cutting off critical supplies and electricity to Gaza, declaring war against Hamas.
In the months since the war began, more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed, the Associated Press reported, citing health officials in Gaza. Thousands more Palestinians remain missing or severely wounded, and an estimated 80 percent of the more than 2 million people residing in Gaza have been displaced.
Biden's administration has strongly supported Israel throughout the war. In response, Iran-backed groups have targeted U.S. troops in the Middle East with regular attacks. Since mid-November, the Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen have launched exploding drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S. has responded by carrying out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
"The soldiers killed and the service members wounded in an outpost on the border of Jordan and Syria should not have been there. The outpost attacked seems to be attached to the U.S. mission in Syria, which is unauthorized, increasingly foolish, and an invitation to war with Iran," Defense Priorities policy director Benjamin H. Friedman said in email to Newsweek on Sunday.
Friedman added that the militants "should be held accountable." However, he also said that the U.S. should ask why troops "in the area were left in range of repeated drone, missile, and rocket attacks. What cause justified this predictable danger?"
"The answer is none," he said.
Michael Butler, an associate professor of political science at Clark University, called the attack in Jordan a "game changer" for Biden's deterrence policy.
"While the US has been trying to thread the needle between degrading the capacity of Iranian proxies without directly engaging Iran itself, it is hard to envision that policy remaining viable now. I'd expect a serious escalation is around the corner," he said in an email to Newsweek.
Update 1/28/2024 at 2:42 p.m. ET: This story was initially published as breaking, and additional information and analyst comment were added.
Update 1/28/2024 at 4:03 p.m. ET: The number of injured was updated.
Update 1/28/2024 at 4:48 p.m. ET: Additional comments from Biden and an analyst were added.
Update 1/29/2024 at 8:22 a.m. ET: Comment from the White House was added.
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