U.S. Mourns Loss of Soldiers in Drone Strike, Considers Retaliation

Amidst the death of three U.S. soldiers in a drone attack by a pro-Iranian militia, the U.S. government is expressing its intent to retaliate while cautiously considering the possibility of escalating into war with Iran.

On May 29th, Reuters reported that John Kirby, the Strategic Communications Coordinator of the White House National Security Council (NSC), stated in a briefing that the United States does not seek war with Iran. However, he also emphasized the need for a response.

John Kirby pointed out that Iran has supported these groups by supplying weapons and training. The leaders of Tehran bear a responsibility for their actions.

This suggests that the U.S. may respond militarily to the militia responsible for the casualties in their country while holding Iran accountable through sanctions instead of direct attacks.

On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a joint press conference after a meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), at the State Department building in Washington DC, expressed caution. He stated that “we will hold those who attacked our military accountable” and “at the same time, we want to prevent this conflict from spreading.”

He warned, ‘We will respond at a time and place of our choosing,’ and ‘We won’t disclose our plan before implementation. However, as President Joe Biden mentioned, our response will be multi-phased and ongoing at various levels.'”

Previously, on the night of the 27th, an incident occurred where a drone attacked the U.S. military outpost Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, resulting in the deaths of three U.S. soldiers and about 40 injured.

The Iranian-backed militias claimed responsibility for this attack, stating that they simultaneously attacked four U.S. military bases in the border area between Jordan and Syria.

However, the U.S. government’s claims of Iranian involvement in this attack are denied by Iranian authorities.

It has been suggested that the attack was not initially prevented because it was mistaken for a friendly drone rather than an enemy’s.

On the same day, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), U.S. authorities tentatively concluded that they could not distinguish whether the drone was friend or foe when it infiltrated at the time when a U.S. military drone was returning to the base after completing its mission, and the militia launched the attack.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Tower 22, which was attacked, is known to have a drone defense system such as the Coyote drone interceptor, but it does not have a large-scale air defense system.

However, no attempt was made to shoot down the drone during the attack, leading to suggestions that it was due to a judgment error.