Drone Strike on Tower 22 in Jordan Kills Three US Soldiers, Blamed on Iran Proxies

A one-way attack drone kills three American soldiers at a US outpost in Jordan near the Syrian border, marking the highest US military death toll from a single Middle East attack in over a decade.

On January 28, 2024, a drone loaded with explosives struck the US military outpost known as Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border. Three American soldiers were killed and over 40 were wounded — the deadliest attack on US forces in the Middle East in more than a decade. US officials attributed the attack to Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias. President Biden pledged "bold action" in response. In early February, the US and UK launched extensive strikes on over 85 Iran-affiliated targets across Iraq and Syria, involving more than 125 precision munitions. The Tower 22 attack marked a dangerous escalation beyond the harassment-level attacks that had characterized the post-October 7 conflict.