US failed to stop deadly drone attack due to identification mixup: Report

The United States military failed to stop a deadly attack on its service members in Jordan because the drone approached the base at the same time a U.S. drone was also returning to the area, American officials said Monday.

There was some confusion on the base when the U.S. drone returned about whether the other incoming drone was friendly or not, officials said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

President Joe Biden on Sunday blamed Iran-backed militant groups for the attack that killed three U.S. Army troops in Jordan and wounded more than two dozen others. 

However, a U.S. defense official told the paper that the U.S. has not yet found evidence showing that Iran directed the attack. 

The U.S. is considering strikes in Iraq and Syria, as well as inside Iran, although an attack actually on the soil of the Islamic Republic seems less likely despite some demands from U.S. lawmakers, officials said. 

The incident marked the first time that U.S. service members have been killed in the Middle East since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel and killed about 1,200 people. The attack on U.S. troops significantly escalated an already tense situation in the region. 

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