The drone that killed three American soldiers and injured more than 40 others in Jordan was manufactured by Iran, a U.S. official confirmed.
The deadly attack was carried out by an Iran-backed militia in Iraq when a drone was able to reach a remote U.S. military base in Jordan.
Reuters reported that the U.S. found Iran made the drone itself, citing multiple officials.
However, officials did not offer details regarding the model of the drone but said the U.S. was able to confirm the origin thanks to shrapnel recovered at the site of the attack.
The Iraqi group, Kata’ib Hezbollah, said it was halting military operations under pressure from the Iraqi government and the group’s backers in Iran, Fox News reported.
Kata’ib Hezbollah, which translates to “Brigades of the Party of God,” is responsible for more than 160 attacks against U.S. forces operating in Iraq and Syria since mid-October.
The group’s leader, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said in a statement:
“We announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces — in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.”
As ABC reported on Thursday, the U.S. response to a drone attack will be carried out “over the course of several days” and striking “multiple targets,” a U.S. official told ABC News Tuesday.
“These are going to be very deliberate targets — deliberate strikes on facilities that enabled these attacks” on U.S. forces, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive details.
On Monday, the Pentagon announced the names of the three Army reservists killed:
Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia
Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia
Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia
A spokesperson for the Iranian Mission for the U.N. said in response to the strikes:
“Iran has nothing to do with the attacks in questions. The conflict has been initiated by the United States military against resistance groups in Iraq and Syria; and such operations are reciprocal between them.”
Meanwhile, Gen. Robert Abrams said U.S. Central Command would try to provide the president with several military strike options.
“Biden needs to send a message, but he also doesn’t want to escalate the tensions … That’s the hard conversation that is happening right now between the Pentagon, CENTCOM, and the White House,” Abrams said.
However, some Republicans have questioned Biden’s strategy in the Middle East, suggesting the U.S. should attack Iran more directly.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called for “a crystal clear message across the globe that attacks on our troops will not be tolerated.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul responded, saying:
“We need a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests and restore deterrence.”
