According to a U.S. official speaking to Fox News Digital, the drone responsible for the attack that killed three American soldiers and injured over 40 others at Tower 22 in Northeast Jordan on Sunday was manufactured by Iran.
Although the attack was carried out by an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Biden administration has previously stated that it holds Iran accountable for the incident. Reuters was the first to report that the U.S. has determined that the drone itself was made in Iran, citing multiple officials.
The officials did not provide specific details about the model of the drone, but they confirmed its Iranian origin based on shrapnel recovered at the attack site. Meanwhile, the Iraqi group Kata'ib Hezbollah, responsible for the majority of the more than 160 attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since mid-October, announced on Tuesday that it is suspending military operations under pressure from the Iraqi government and its backers in Iran. The group's leader, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, stated that the suspension aims to avoid causing embarrassment to the Iraqi government.
Despite this development, the Biden administration has already made decisions regarding retaliatory measures against Iran and its proxy groups in response to the attack. However, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has refrained from disclosing specific details about the nature or timeline of the response.
Iran, on the other hand, has vowed to respond in kind to any attack against it. The country has a long history of supporting terrorist groups throughout the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, among others.
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