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Location of the drone attack: The Tower 22 military base in Jordan
Photo: dpa
The US military has launched its first counterstrikes in Syria for the killing of three US soldiers in a drone strike in Jordan. The airstrikes targeted more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the militias they support, the US military said on Friday.
Syrian state media also reported US attacks on areas in Syria, including near the border with Iraq.
According to the US Central Command for the Middle East, three US soldiers were killed and dozens more injured in the shelling of a military base in northeastern Jordan near the border with Syria on Sunday. US President Joe Biden blamed a pro-Iranian group for the attack and announced a response. On Friday he attended the arrival of the remains of the dead US soldiers at an air force base in the state of Delaware.
For US President Biden, the action against the militias is a balancing act. On the one hand, he wants to avoid his country being drawn into a regional war in the Middle East. On the other hand, he wants to show strength and bring an end to the attacks. At the same time, he is under pressure in the USA - some Republicans are calling for more aggressive countermeasures to the attacks against the US military.
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eru/dpa/Reuters