On January 28th, 2024, an armed militia carried out a drone attack in Jordan on a military base where dozens of Americans were injured and killed three United States service members. Although Iran has denied any involvement, the US has been persistent in the pursuit of Iran carrying out drone strikes in Iran and Syria.
The drone strike on Tower 22, the US base, is not the only attack by militia groups against the US in the Middle East in recent weeks. The drone that was used to carry out the strike is similar to the drones Russia used in the wa
r with Ukraine. Russia is a known ally of Iran and frequently works together strategically and economically, one of the reasons Iran is suspected of the attacks. With the US involvement in many Middle East conflicts escalating, they are under fire. Tower 22 is located on the border between Jordan and Syria and was attacked by alleged Iranian-backed militant groups. After the attack, Biden swiftly announced that action would be taken against the attack’s perpetrators. Earlier this week, we saw the first retaliatory attacks by the United States.
On February 2, the first attacks were on known bases of Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The strikes hit seven locations, including floors holding ammunition and missiles, but a statement made it clear that there would be more strikes. However, the strikes purposely fell short of killing the leaders of these organizations in a US effort to minimize the escalation of the conflict.
The US also made an effort to reduce damage by announcing the air strikes days before they were taken, making it likely that the damage on these groups was minimal as many militia members went into hiding. The strikes lasted over thirty minutes, and according to the director of the joint staff, the strikes hit three sites in Iraq and four sites in Syria.
Since the Jordan strike and the US strike, Iran has continuously denied their involvement in the drone attacks in Jordan. With the United States certainty that the strikes came from some militant group in Iran or Syria, Iranian officials have stated that the country of Iran does not control militant groups and that the Iranian government is actively trying to avoid conflict and further war in the Middle East. Some militias like Hezbollah have said that they were suspending attacks on the US troops, with Tehran having similar sentiments. Some groups have vowed to keep fighting for Palestine in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The drone strikes by the militias and the US are a symptom of a much larger conflict. For years, tensions in the Middle East have been high, and since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Middle East saw an escalation and advancement of militant groups from Lebanon to Yemen. Some want the United States to fully attack the militant groups and take a stand, while others think it would be best to avoid heightening tensions to avoid a full-on regional conflict in the Middle East. People are saying the strikes are that the American government is creating a hard line against Iran about the loss of lives.
Although Iran is still denying any involvement in the attacks, the US has plans in conjunction with some of their allies to carry out more attacks against Iranian-backed proxy groups in the Middle East, with no specific dates or strategies. It is a waiting game.
