3 U.S. troops were killed and 25 wounded in a drone strike on a base in Jordan

Three U.S. service members were killed and 25 others were wounded Sunday in a drone attack in Jordan, according to U.S. Central Command and the White House.

The unmanned aerial drone struck American troops stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border overnight. The attack occurred at a support base known as Tower 22 and likely hit a barracks, a U.S. defense official told NPR.

It marks the the first time members of the U.S. armed forces have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

The White House said it is still gathering information but it is confident that the attack was carried out by Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq. The administration did not specify the names of the militant groups.

"Have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing," President Biden said in a statement.

Central Command said it is in the process of notifying the families of the service members.

The attack comes amid the growing conflict in the Middle East which was triggered by the Hamas attacks on Israel in October. The U.S. has been attempting to contain the conflict and prevent a from spreading wider in the region.

This is a developing story. We will update as we learn more. NPR's Tom Bowman contributed reporting.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.