The Pentagon has identified the three U.S. soldiers who were killed over the weekend at a military base in northeast Jordan in a drone strike allegedly carried out by an Iran-backed group.
They are: Sgt. William Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia, and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.
“These three fallen heroes were deployed to Jordan in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and the international coalition working to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said during a news conference on Jan. 29.
“These brave Americans and their families are in our prayers, and the entire Department of Defense mourns their loss.”
She added that U.S. officials were “still assessing what happened and how a one-way attack drone was able to impact the facility.”
President Joe Biden, in a statement on Jan. 28, said the three service members were killed by “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” and launched an investigation. He also vowed to take retaliatory action against the group, although no details were provided.
“These claims are made with specific political goals to reverse the realities of the region,” Iran foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, as reported by Iran’s state-backed IRNA news agency.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s government condemned the drone strike, distancing itself from an attack likely carried out by the Iranian-backed militias that have a strong presence inside Iraq.
The attack marked the first deaths of U.S. troops by enemy fire in the Middle East since the start of the Israel–Hamas war that erupted after Hamas launched terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
While two Navy SEALS were confirmed dead during an operation against Yemen’s Houthi rebels earlier this month, they weren’t killed by enemy fire.
“The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense. And their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation,” the White House said in a statement at the time.
“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. And have no doubt—we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
In addition to the three deaths, 34 other soldiers were wounded. The injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to traumatic brain injuries, U.S. officials said. Eight were medically evacuated and the most seriously injured service member is in critical but stable condition.
Meanwhile, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told news outlets that the Biden administration isn’t seeking to get into another conflict in the Middle East.
However, he also made clear that American patience has worn thin after more than two months of attacks by Iranian proxies on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan and on U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The groups—including Yemen’s Houthis and the Iraq-based Kataeb Hezbollah—say the attacks are in response to Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.
“We are not looking for a war with Iran. We are not looking to escalate the tensions any more than they already have been escalating,” Mr. Kirby told reporters.
“That said, this was a very serious attack. It had lethal consequences. We will respond, and we respond appropriately.”
