COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. will “respond” afterward Three American soldiers were killed Dozens more were injured in a nighttime drone strike in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border. Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. deaths after such groups carried out months of attacks on American forces across the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Biden, who was in South Carolina, asked for a moment of silence during an appearance in a Baptist church banquet hall.

“We had a rough day in the Middle East last night. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” he said. After the moment of silence, Biden added: “We will respond.”

As the risk of military escalation increases in the region, US officials have been working to identify the exact group responsible for the attack. However, they concluded that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.

Biden said in a written statement that the United States will “hold all those responsible accountable at a time and in a manner we choose.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops and our interests.”

Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria began evacuating their posts out of fear of U.S. airstrikes, according to Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activist and head of the media outlet Deir Ezzor 24. He told the Associated Press that the areas were the strongholds of Mayadeen and Boukamal.

According to a U.S. official, the number of troops injured by the unilateral attack drone rose to at least 34. Another official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss unpublished details, said a large drone hit the base, which led to an attack on the base. Two other American officials identified a facility in Jordan known as Tower 22. Located on the Syrian border, it is largely used by troops involved in the advisory and support mission for the Jordanian Armed Forces.

The small installation, which Jordan does not publicly disclose, includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and security troops. Austin said the troops were deployed there “to work toward the lasting defeat of ISIS.” Three officials said the drone hit near the troops’ sleeping quarters, which they said explains the high number of casualties.

The U.S. military base at al-Tanf, Syria, is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Tower 22. The Jordanian facility is a key logistical hub for U.S. forces in Syria, including those at al-Tanf, which is near the border The areas of Iraq, Syria and Jordan intersect.

Jordanian state television quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a government spokesman, as saying the attack took place across the border in Syria.

US troops have long used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as a base. There are typically about 3,000 American troops stationed across Jordan, but the number at Tower 22 was not immediately known and is not regularly disclosed.

Since the war in Gaza began on October 7, Iran-backed militias have attacked American military facilities in Iraq and more than 90 times in Syria using a mix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles. Sunday’s attack was the first attack on American troops in Jordan during the Israel-Hamas war and the first in which Americans lost their lives. Numerous US soldiers were injured in the attacks, including some with traumatic brain injuries.

The militias said their attacks were in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza and that they were aimed at driving U.S. forces from the region.

The U.S. has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in recent months to respond to attacks on American forces in the region and to deter Iran-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

“I am confident that the Biden administration will respond in a deliberate and proportionate manner,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Republicans in Congress said the administration’s approach had failed to deter America’s adversaries in the region.

“We need a fundamental reorientation of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests,” said Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., went further, calling on the administration to “attack key targets in Iran, not only in retaliation for the killing of our forces, but also as a deterrent against future aggression.” The only thing the Iranian Regime understands is violence.”

Biden, who was in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday, was briefed in the morning by Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. In the afternoon, he met virtually with Vice President Kamala Harris and his national security team for an update.

The president called it a “despicable and completely unjust attack” in the written statement and said the soldiers were “risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans and our allies and partners with whom we fight against him.” “. Terrorism. It’s a fight we won’t give up.”

Syria is still in the midst of a civil war and has long been a launching pad for Iranian-backed forces there, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Several Iran-backed Shiite militias also operate in Iraq.

Jordan, a staunch Western ally and a crucial power in Jerusalem for overseeing holy sites there, is suspected of carrying out airstrikes in Syria to take down drug smugglers, including one that killed nine people earlier this month .

An umbrella organization of Iran-backed groups known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq had previously claimed to have launched explosive drone strikes on three areas in Syria and one in “occupied Palestine.” The group has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on US troop bases in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Three officials from Iran-backed militias in Iraq, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with reporters, said the drone strike on the base in Jordan was launched by one of the Iraqi groups. No faction has yet officially taken responsibility.

Officials said the U.S. military was not pursuing further attacks on its forces in the region on Sunday.

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Baldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Abby Sewell in Beirut, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan and Jon Gambrell in Jerusalem contributed to this report.