Tower 22 drone attack
| Tower 22 drone attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of attacks on US bases during the Gaza war and the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |
American soldiers killed in the attack (left to right: Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, Sergeant William Jerome Rivers) | |
| Type | Exploding drone strike |
| Location | Rukban, Jordan 33°18′51″N 38°42′12″E / 33.31417°N 38.70333°E |
| Target | Tower 22 US military base |
| Date | 28 January 2024 (UTC+3) |
| Executed by | Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, Islamic Resistance in Iraq |
| Casualties | 3 killed 47 injured |
%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22middle%22%20fill%3D%22%2354595d%22%20font-size%3D%2216%22%20font-family%3D%22sans-serif%22%3ETower%2022%20is%20located%20in%20Jordan%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)  Tower 22 Tower 22 in Jordan | |
On 28 January 2024, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed Shia Iraqi militia coalition, launched an attack drone, striking Tower 22, a U.S. military outpost in Rukban, northeast Jordan. The explosion killed three U.S. soldiers and injured 47 others. The incident marked the first time U.S. troops were killed by enemy fire since the start of the Gaza war. Iran denied any involvement in the attack.
The U.S. conducted retaliatory strikes against Iranian personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria on 2 February. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 35 Iran-backed militants were killed in the airstrikes in Syria.