The three United States Army soldiers killed in Jordan in an attack believed to be carried out by Iranian-backed militants have been identified.
President Joe Biden was visiting South Carolina on Sunday when he broke the news. He led a moment of silence for the fallen soldiers before vowing retribution.
The servicemembers, all from Georgia, were Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton; Spc. Kennedy Landon Sanders, 24, of Waycross; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah.
All three were based out of Fort Moore, Georgia, and were stationed in Jordan as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. At least 34 others were injured in the attack.
The attack in Jordan is the latest of dozens committed by terrorist cells believed to be funded by Iran. The U.S. intelligence agencies have yet to identify the specific organization that launched the killer drone attack against U.S. forces on the night of January 27 but have confirmed that three soldiers were killed and more than 30 were wounded. The terrorist’s drone is believed to have targeted a barracks where troops were sleeping.
The attack marks the first deaths caused by attacks that have seen terrorists use drones, ballistic missiles, and various other munitions to attack American positions in Syria, Iraq, and the Red Sea. The U.S. has previously responded to the increasing attacks by targeting communications systems and missile launching facilities in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
The Iranian State Media has refuted American claims that Iran backs the terrorists.
“[The] Islamic Republic of Iran has no role in decisions by resistance groups on how they support the Palestinian nation or defend their people,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, according to the IRNA news agency, per The Associated Press. “[The] responsibility for the consequences of provocative accusations against Iran will be on those who raise the baseless allegations.”
The facility that was struck is near the Syrian border in Jordan and serves as a communications hub to aid Jordan in defending against terror attacks and drug smuggling in the region. The Kingdom of Jordan remains a strong ally of the U.S.
“We need a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) went further on X, posting a message that simply said, “Target Tehran.” He later added that he believes the administrations should target the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard and their Quds Force terrorist facilitators.
Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to offer condolences to the families of those who were killed and added, “This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender.”
Trump authorized a drone strike against Iran’s top military commander, Qasem Soleimani, in 2020 after rocket and missile attacks against U.S. forces.
The Biden administration has made efforts to avoid a confrontation with Iran at the risk of escalating the rapidly deteriorating conflict in the Middle East that began with the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israeli civilians and military posts.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not specified what the U.S. response will be, stating only that “we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”