3 US soldiers die in drone attack by ‘Iran-backed’ militia groups

WASHINGTON, January 28

Three US service members were killed and many wounded during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden said on Sunday, blaming Iran-backed militia groups for the attack.

Iran launches 3 satellites, sparking fears

• Iran on Sunday successfully launched three satellites into space. The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel-Hamas war, sparking fears of a regional conflict
• Earlier this month, Iran launched its Sorayya satellite with a rocket built by the Revolutionary Guards, which Europe believes will be used to develop long-range ballistic missiles

“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.

At least 34 personnel were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, a US official said.

The deaths marked the first fatalities of US troops in the region since war began in Gaza. Biden said the attack occurred on Saturday night.

“We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said in his statement released by the White House.

Biden’s statement did not mention how many troops were injured but CNN said at least 24 service members were wounded in the attack.

While the United States has thus far maintained an official line that Washington is not at war in the region, it has made strikes against targets of Yemen’s Houthi groups that have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Iran said on Sunday it successfully launched three satellites into space with a rocket that had multiple failures in the past, the latest for a programme that the West says improves Tehran’s ballistic missiles.

The launch comes as heightened tensions grip the wider Middle East over Israel’s continued war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a regional conflict.

While Iran has not intervened militarily in the conflict, it has faced increased pressure within its theocracy for action after a deadly Islamic State suicide bombing earlier this month and as proxy groups like Yemen’s Houthi rebels conduct attacks linked to the war.

Meanwhile, Western nations remain worried about Iran’s rapidly expanding nuclear programme.

Footage released by Iranian state television showed a nighttime launch for the Simorgh rocket. An Associated Press analysis of the footage showed that it took place at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s rural Semnan province. — Agencies