US forces accidentally allowed attack drone into Jordan outpost as US drone was also landing: report

According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials have concluded so far that the return of the US drone led to confusion over whether the approaching drone was friendly or not.

US officials said the enemy drone was launched from Iraq by an Iran-backed militia. Tower 22, where the attack took place, sits in Jordan near the borders of Iraq and Syria.

A US defense official said on Monday that the US has not yet found evidence that Iran directed the attack.

The Sunday attack marked the first US troop casualties since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Biden has vowed that the US will respond to the attack. Since mid-October, Iran-backed militias have carried out more than 150 attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria.

On Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden would respond "in a time and manner of his choosing" and "in a very consequential way."

“We don’t want to see these attacks continue. And we want to make it clear that they’re unacceptable. We also want to make it clear that we’ll do what we have to do to protect our troops, our facilities, our national security interests in the region,” Kirby said. “But we don’t seek a war with Iran. We’re not looking for a wider conflict in the Middle East.”

Iran has denied any link to the drone attack, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani saying on Monday that allegations of Iranian involvement are "baseless accusations" that are designed to pull the US back into a Middle East war.

“The responsibility for the consequences of provoking allegations against Iran lies with those who bring up such baseless claims,” Kanaani said.