US troops killed and dozens injured in drone attack on Syria-Jordan border | BBC News

Summary

Three U.S. troops were killed and 34 injured in a drone attack on an American base near the Syria-Jordan border. President Biden blamed Iran-backed militant groups and vowed to hold those responsible accountable. Separately, a British warship shot down a drone targeting it, launched by Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen. Attacks by Iran's regional proxies have intensified amid the Gaza war. Biden faces pressure to retaliate, but wants to avoid escalation during ceasefire talks in Paris. Israel is intensifying attacks on Hamas in Gaza despite constructive talks on a possible prisoner exchange.

Takeaways

• 😢 Three US troops were killed and 34 injured in a drone attack on an American base on the Syria-Jordan border
• 😠 President Biden says the strike was carried out by Iran-backed militant groups and that those responsible would be held accountable
• ⚔️ A British warship, the HMS Diamond, shot down a drone targeting it launched by Houthi fighters in Yemen, who are also backed by Iran
• 🤝 The US has a wide network of bases across the Middle East region which have faced dozens of attacks in recent months
• 👎 This attack killed American personnel for the first time, increasing pressure on Biden to retaliate strongly
• 🤔 Biden met with military and intelligence leaders about potential responses, which could range from strikes on the attackers to Iran itself
• 😟 This escalation comes amid sensitive ceasefire talks over the Israel-Gaza conflict which has fueled regional tensions
• 🚨 Chief International Correspondent: Escalating the confrontation with Iran risks an even more dangerous spiral
• 🙏 Ceasefire talks showed some positive signs but gaps remain between Israel and Hamas on issues like prisoner exchanges
• 💥 Israel is continuing intense attacks on Gaza causing growing hardship, while ceasefire remains absent from Biden and Israel's agenda

Q & A

Where was the drone attack that killed 3 US troops?

The drone attack was on an American base called Tower 22 on the border between Syria and Jordan.

Which militant groups does the US believe carried out the attack?

President Biden says the attack was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.

What other incident happened involving Iran's proxies?

A British warship, the HMS Diamond, shot down a drone targeting it. The drone was launched by Houthi fighters from Yemen, who are also backed by Iran.

How has Iran built up a network of proxies in the region?

Over years, Iran has cultivated a wide network of allies and proxies operating across the Middle East that oppose the US and Israel. They are known as the 'axis of resistance'.

What pressure is Biden under to respond?

There is huge pressure on Biden to respond, particularly in an election year. He has said the US will retaliate at a time and place of its choosing.

What are Biden's options for retaliation?

The Pentagon likely offered a menu of options, from striking the group that launched the drone to attacks on Iran itself. Biden wants to avoid direct confrontation with Iran.

How does the Gaza conflict relate to the drone attack?

The Gaza war has left the whole Middle East more dangerous. But the US wants to avoid escalating tensions amid efforts for a Gaza ceasefire.

What talks are underway that offer hope?

Talks between Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the US over a ceasefire and prisoner exchange are described as constructive, though gaps remain.

Why can retaliation risk further escalation?

Because past US strikes on Iran's assets didn't stop attacks. Retaliation may fail to deter Iran and its proxies, only intensifying the crisis.

What's key to stopping the attacks?

A ceasefire in Gaza is seen as the only thing that can truly stop the attacks. But that has not been a priority for the US or Israel yet.

Outlines

00:00

😢 US troops killed in drone attack on Syria-Jordan border base

Three US troops were killed and 34 injured in a drone attack on an American base on the Syria-Jordan border. President Biden said Iran-backed militant groups were responsible and would be held accountable. In a separate incident, a British warship shot down a drone targeting it, launched by Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen.

05:03

🤔 Escalating tensions put pressure on Biden to retaliate

The attack raises tensions between the US and Iran. There is pressure on Biden to retaliate, with options ranging from strikes on the group responsible to attacks on Iran itself. This complicates sensitive talks over a Gaza ceasefire. Previous US responses failed to deter attacks. Biden must respond more forcefully but risks further escalation.

Keywords

💡drone attack

A drone attack refers to an attack carried out using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. In the video script, a drone attack on an American military base on the Syria-Jordan border resulted in the death of 3 US troops and injury of 34 others. This attack is a major escalation in the tensions between the US and Iran, as the militant groups behind it are backed by Iran.

💡Iran

Iran is mentioned multiple times in the script as backing the militant groups responsible for attacks on US and British forces. Iran supports proxy militias and allies across the Middle East that target Western interests. The drone attack killing US troops is seen as Iran-linked militants pushing the US towards confrontation.

💡escalation

Escalation refers to an intensification of tensions, conflict or violence between opposing sides. There are worries that the drone attack killing US troops could lead to uncontrolled escalation between the US and Iran if the US retaliates forcefully.

💡retaliation

Retaliation means responding, often with force, to an attack or harm inflicted by an enemy. The US has vowed to retaliate against the militant groups and their Iranian backers for the deadly drone strike. But this risks setting off a dangerous spiral of escalation.

💡proxy militias

Proxy militias refer to armed groups that are supported and directed by a foreign power like Iran but not officially part of its military. Iran backs many proxy militias across the Middle East that target US, Israel and Gulf interests while allowing it to deny direct responsibility.

💡Gaza conflict

The ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant groups like Hamas has destabilized the wider Middle East. Attacks by pro-Iran groups are seen as linked to or enabled by the Gaza crisis. A ceasefire could help deescalate tensions.

💡Houthis

The Houthis are a rebel group in Yemen also backed by Iran. They have recently launched attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and targeted a British warship. The Houthis add another dimension to the regional tensions.

💡Iran nuclear deal

The Iran nuclear deal refers to the 2015 agreement between Iran, the US and other world powers to limit Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. Biden wants to rejoin it to avoid nuclear escalation amid regional tensions.

💡Middle East allies

Key US allies in the Middle East like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE see Iran as an existential threat. They want assurances that the US will stand up to Iran even if it rejoins the nuclear deal.

💡ceasefire talks

Egypt, Qatar and the UN are trying to broker ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas over Gaza. This could help reduce tensions and proxy attacks, removing an enabling factor and rationale used by Iran-backed groups to strike US or allied targets.

Highlights

Three US troops killed and 34 injured in drone attack on American base on Syria-Jordan border

President Biden says strike carried out by Iran-backed militant groups and those responsible will be held accountable

British warship HMS Diamond shot down drone targeting it launched by Houthi fighters backed by Iran

Houthis have been launching attacks, hitting tanker in Gulf of Aden and targeting HMS Diamond

With British help, US has been hitting Houthi military targets for weeks but Houthis seem undeterred

Problems in region exacerbated but not solely caused by war in Gaza which has made Middle East more dangerous

Iran has network of proxies opposing US and Israel across Middle East known as 'axis of resistance'

Biden under pressure to retaliate, with options from striking group behind attack to direct strikes on Iran

US wants to avoid escalation but response will likely be stronger than past to deter Iran

Talks underway involving US, Israel, Egypt and Qatar described as positive but gaps remain significant

Israel hopes to exchange remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners but gaps remain on timeframe

Attacks on Gaza causing growing hardship but ceasefire not on Biden or Israel's agenda

US retaliation may not stop attacks - only Gaza ceasefire can achieve that

Israel intensifying attacks on Hamas in Gaza worsening suffering despite talks

Talks only way to stop escalation spiral but gaps remain with attacks continuing

Transcripts

three US troops have been killed and 34

injured in a drone attack on an American

base on the border between Syria and

Jordan President Biden says the strike

was carried out by militant groups

backed by Iran and that those

responsible would be held to account and

in a separate incident a British warship

the HMS Diamond shot down a drone it was

being targeted by the Drone was launched

by hthy fighters from Yemen who are also

backed by Iran our diplomatic

correspondent Paul Adams reports

the Americans say the attack happened at

a base known as Tower 22 right on the

Syrian Jordanian border it's one of many

American bases across the region there

have been dozens of drone and missile

attacks in recent months but no American

Personnel have been killed until

now Joe Biden seen here attending church

this morning was quick to point the

finger we know it was carried out by by

radical iran-backed militant groups

operating in Syria and Iraq he said it's

not necessarily um a Tipping Point into

uncontrolled escalation between the

United States and Iran but it's another

very dangerous step because as I say the

us will have to respond even more

strongly than it's done to previous

attacks carefully cultivated over years

Iran has a wide network of allies and

proxies operating in countries across

the Middle East they're all opposed to

Israel and the United States it's

sometimes called the axis of resistance

there are pro-iranian militias in

Lebanon the Palestinian territories Gaza

and the West Bank Plus Iraq and Syria

and far to the South there's also the

houthis in

Yemen over the weekend the houthis have

been launching their own attacks hitting

a tanker in the Gulf of Aiden and last

night a British warship HMS Diamond used

an air defense missile to bring down a

houthi drone with British help the US

have been hitting houthi military

targets for a couple of weeks so far the

houthis seem

undeterred they say they'll stop

attacking ships if and when there's a

ceasefire in

Gaza the problems America is dealing

with across the region aren't all about

Gaza but the war there has left the

whole Middle East a lot more dangerous

Paul Adams BBC

News Let's cross now to Washington and

speak to our correspondent Gary odonahue

President Biden has made it clear that

the US will retaliate Gary but what

might that look

like Marita there's huge pressure going

to be huge pressure on Joe Biden to

respond to this particularly now we're

in an election year one Senator one

Republican senator has already called

for direct strikes on Iran itself now

Joe Biden has said America will respond

at a time and place of its choosing and

he's been meeting with his top military

and intell Ence brass today typically in

these circumstances the Pentagon offers

a menu of options possibly ranging from

a strike on the group that launched the

Drone right through to attacks on Iran

now all this goes against the background

of sensitive talks in Paris over a

possible ceasefire in Gaza and the

American desire to stop this escalating

further there have been dozens of these

attacks on Americans throughout the

region since October and there have been

responses the problem is that this one

killed Americans and for Joe Biden that

means that public opinion and the desire

to deter Iran means that the response

this time will have to be qualitatively

different Gary thank you well Lis dueta

Chief International correspondent is

with me is this the escalation that

everyone has been fearing Le well it's

an escalation in two ways it's an

escalation in tension in the region but

also as we've been hearing from Gary a

huge ratcheting up of pressure on the US

president who is the Commander in Chief

since this uh Gaza Israel war erupted on

October the 7th the United States has

been trying to do everything possible to

avoid the enlarging and intensifying of

this confrontation most of all

Washington and Teran have avoided direct

confrontation President Biden knows that

if he and his military and intelligence

advisers do succumb to that pressure to

attack Iran directly that will set off

and even more dangerous spiral they have

many other targets to choose from there

are Iranian assets across the region

they have struck them before during this

crisis but the real problem Rita is that

they have to be not just seen to do

something they have to seen to succeed

and we've already seen that with the

attacks against the houthis in the Red

Sea it didn't stop the houthi attacks it

only intensified them and similarly this

attack this retaliation by America may

not stop the attacks all that will stop

the attacks is a ceasefire in Gaza and

that has not been on President Biden

agenda nor the Israelis but there are

talks underway as Gary Odon who

mentioned a small glimmer of hope

tonight those talks involving senior

intelligence figures from from Israel

the United States from Egypt Qatari

prime minister are being described as

positive Prime min Min Netanyahu of

Israel has said though the gaps are

significant but the talks are

constructive they will continue it is a

second stage of a exchange of Israel

hopes all of the remaining hostages

around 130 held by Hamas and other

groups in exchange for what Hamas wants

is all the prisoners in Israeli jails

all for all that's not going to happen

we understand that the one of the gaps

is around how long truce would have to

happen to have that many prisoners

released in exchange for that many

hostages there was an estimate it could

take two months and meanwhile Israel is

intensifying its attacks against Hamas

in Gaza which is causing ever growing

hardship and suffering Le thank you very

much least do set there