A drone strike in Jordan killed three US servicemembers and injured 25, marking the first US fatalities in the Middle East since the Gaza War began

The US has witnessed a surge in attacks against its forces in the Middle East since October

As of Friday, the US had tallied 158+ such attacks in Iraq and Syria, which it said had caused non-fatal injuries to 70+ US servicemembers

The US has blamed those attacks on Iran-funded or -armed groups throughout the Middle East

The US has responded to those attacks with strikes of its own that have targeted militant bases in Iraq, Syria, and other countries

It has also begun bombing the Houthis, an Iran-backed Yemeni militia that late last year began targeting shipping in the Red Sea

So far, though, the US has refrained from directly attacking Iran, citing its desire to prevent regional escalation

In a pre-recorded interview with ABC aired on Sunday, a top US military official said the US’ goal is to “deter [Iran-backed militias] and we don't want to go down a path of greater escalation”

On Sunday, a drone struck a US base in Jordan, killing three and injuring 25

Responding to the news, President Biden said, “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”

He also expressed his condolences for “the loss of these warriors in this…wholly unjust attack”

Following it, several Republicans called Biden’s strategy against Iran a failure

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for a more aggressive posture against Iran, including strikes against “targets of significance inside Iran”

The US “can take out… Iranian proxies…but [that] will not deter Iranian aggression,” he added

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