Tower 22 drone attack

On 28January 2024, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed Shia Iraqi militia coalition, launched an attack drone, striking Tower22, 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.