The US is still working to identify militia responsible for attack on its base in Jordan
From CNN’s Kevin Liptak
The US government is still working to assess exactly which militia group was responsible for Sunday’s attack on soldiers at a base in Jordan, a US official told CNN.
At least three service members died and more than 30 were injured in the drone attack by Iranian proxies, the White House said earlier Sunday.
2:37 p.m. ET, January 28, 2024
3 US soldiers killed and many more hurt in drone attack on a base in Jordan. Here's what to know
From CNN Staff
Three US soldiers have been killed and more than 30 service members injured after Iran-backed militants launched a drone strike on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials say.
The drone landed near living quarters at the base, located near the Syrian border, according to two US officials. At least three service members were evacuated for medical treatment, the officials said, and the injury toll is expected to rise as more personnel seek treatment.
Here's what to know:
Fears of a wider war: The soldiers' deaths are the first of US service members in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza, with US President Joe Biden vowing those responsible will be held accountable, "at a time and in a manner our choosing."
The site of the attack: The attack took place at Tower 22, a small base near the border with Syria. US forces at the outpost are there as part of an "advise and assist" mission with Jordan.
It’s unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces began October 17.
More from the White House: Biden was briefed on the deaths Sunday morning in South Carolina, where he is making a stop on the campaign trail.
US Vice President Kamala Harris also made a statement on the attack Sunday, saying she and her husband mourn the loss of the soldiers killed in a "despicable attack by Iran-backed militant groups."
US lawmakers call for strikes: Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the US Senate's Armed Services Committee, called on the Biden administration to strike "directly" against Iranian targets and its leaders. The House Armed Services chairman, GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, also called on Biden to hold Iran and its proxies "accountable."
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham attacked Biden over the news, saying his administration’s “policy of deterrence has failed miserably” and calling for strikes on targets inside Iran.
Previous attacks: There have been numerous attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria recently, resulting in dozens of injuries — a senior military official told reporters last week there were roughly 70. The Pentagon had previously classified most of them as minor, aside from one US soldier who was critically injured in an attack in Iraq on Christmas Day.
1:05 p.m. ET, January 28, 2024
More than 30 US troops wounded in Jordan base attack — and that number is expected to rise, officials say
From CNN’s Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann
The number of service members wounded in the attack on a US base in Jordan now stands at more than 30 — and is likely to rise further as they seek treatment for symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injury, two US officials said.
The attack drone that struck overnight landed near the living quarters at the base, according to the officials.
The base that was attacked is a small US outpost called Tower 22, near the border with Syria. It’s unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces in the region began October 17.
US forces at the outpost are there as part of an "advise and assist" mission with Jordan.
3:53 p.m. ET, January 28, 2024
Biden blames Iran-backed militant groups for the death of US service members
At least two dozens others were wounded in the attack.
"Today, America’s heart is heavy," Biden said in a statement Sunday. "Last night, three U.S. service members were killed—and many wounded—during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border."
"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden continued.
Biden vowed the US “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.” He called the three fallen service members “patriots,” praising their bravery and offering his grief, calling it a “despicable and wholly unjust attack.”
“Together, we will keep the sacred obligation we bear to their families. We will strive to be worthy of their honor and valor. We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism,” the president said.
Biden was briefed on the attack Sunday morning in South Carolina, where he is campaigning for re-election, according to the White House. He also participated in a larger virtual briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and top national security officials later in the day, the White House said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer provided the initial briefing.
This post has been updated with details about Biden's briefings on the attack.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting to this post.
12:26 p.m. ET, January 28, 2024
Drone attack on US base comes after weeks of officials working to contain the war in Gaza
From CNN’s Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann
The overnight drone strike on a US military base in Jordan — which killed the first US service members in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza — comes after weeks of efforts by officials to avoid a broader regional conflict.
A key part of the US’ work in the Middle East is “not to have the conflict broaden,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown said in a pre-recorded interview that just aired on ABC News Sunday morning.
“The goal is to deter them, and we don't want to go down a path of greater escalation that drives to a much broader conflict within the region,” he said.
Attacks before Sunday: There have been dozens of injuries since recent attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria began — a senior military official told reporters last week there were roughly 70. The Pentagon had previously classified most of them as minor, aside from one US soldier who was critically injured in an attack in Iraq on Christmas Day.
The US has taken several retaliatory actions against the Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, one as recently as last week when the US struck three facilities in Iraq used by Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-affiliated groups.
The killing of three Americans also comes as the US and Iraq are expected to soon begin talks about the future of the US military presence in the country.
12:56 p.m. ET, January 28, 2024
First on CNN: 3 US troops killed and more than 20 wounded in drone attack in Jordan, officials say
From CNN’s Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann
Three US Army troopswere killed and at least two dozen service members were wounded in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials tell CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.
The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordannear the border with Syria is a significant escalation of an already-precarious situation in the Middle East.
US Central Command confirmed in a statement later Sunday that three service members were killed and 25 injured in a one-way drone attack that “impacted at a base in northeast Jordan.”
As of Friday, there had been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the constant volley of drones, rockets and missiles as unsuccessful, as they have frequently not caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure.
It’s unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces began October 17. US forces at the outpost are there as part of an "advise and assist" mission with Jordan.
US officials have repeatedly said they do not want to see the increasingly high tensions across the Middle East during Israel's fighting with Hamas broaden into a regional war.
Asked last week if the Pentagon assessed that Iranian proxies were stepping up their attacks on US forces, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said, “Not necessarily, no.”
This post has been updated with confirmation from US Central Command.
11:08 a.m. ET, January 28, 2024
Israeli military says it hit several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
From CNN’s Amir Tal
The Israel Defense Forces says it has struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon with fighter jets and artillery Sunday.
Hezbollah fighters also hit Israeli infantry on the Lebanese-Israeli border today, according to the Lebanese news agency NNA.
Remember: Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah — the powerful Iran-backed paramilitary — has become a near-daily occurrence since the Lebanese militants increased attacks on Israel a day after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
France becomes latest nation to suspend funding for UN agency in Gaza over allegations against staff
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz and Eve Brennan
France has “no plans to make a further payment in the first half of 2024” to the United Nations relief agency in Gaza, its foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday.
The ministry pointed to the accusations by Israel that some UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff members were involved in the Hamas attacks on October 7 of last year, calling the allegations "exceptionally serious."
France had contributed nearly 60 million euros (around $65 million) to UNRWA in 2023.
The foreign ministry said in its statement that it will decide "when the time comes" what it will do to ensure requirements for aid transparency and security are taken into account.
A growing list: France joins these other donor nations in pausing financial support for UNWRA in light of the allegations:
United States
Germany
Canada
Italy
United Kingdom
Netherlands
Switzerland
Australia
Finland
Ireland and Norway say they will continue to fund the UN agency.
10:44 a.m. ET, January 28, 2024
Israeli protesters again block aid trucks from entering Gaza at border crossing
From CNN's Nic Robertson and Benjamin Brown
Hundreds of Israeli protesters on Sunday blocked aid trucks from driving into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, demanding that hostages held in Gaza are freed before any more aid is delivered into the Strip, CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson reports from the scene.
The protests have been ongoing for days and were organized by families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. On Sunday, the protesters again blocked the convoys, despite an expectation that Israeli police would clear the protests to allow the crossing to operate, Robertson reports. The aid trucks, however, remain parked a few hundred meters from the protesters.
On Wednesday, only nine trucks crossed into Gaza via Kerem Shalom due to the protests, while the crossing remained closed Thursday and Friday due to protesters blocking access, according to Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The border was closed Saturday for Shabbat.
Last Sunday, 139 aid trucks were inspected and transferred via Kerem Shalom, according to COGAT.
United Nations officials have warned of the repercussions of declining humanitarian access in parts of Gaza and the blocking of aid at the crossing, saying famine is looming in the enclave and hospitals are in dire shape.