AmmanNet- Hadeel Al-bees

After three American soldiers were killed in a drone strike on a base along the Syria-Jordan border, political experts have ruled out that this attack may lead to an expansion of the war in the region, pointing to political factors that may restrict the United States from exploring additional military or security options.

According to data from The Pentagon, the US Department for Defence, this attack was not the first to target American Forces, as it has been subject to more than 150 attacks in Iraq and Syria since the Gaza War began.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, vowed to respond, accusing groups supported by Iran of being responsible for the strike. Yesterday evening, Iraqi factions claimed responsibility for several attacks carried out in the same area.

This morning, Tehran denied responsibility for the attack.

Several countries have condemned this attack, including Jordan. The Minister for Government Communications and official spokesperson for the government, Muhannad Al Mubaidin, expressed Jordan’s condolences to the United States and the victims of the drone attack, while confirming the terrorist attack did not lead to any causalities among the Jordanian armed forces.

Military and Political expert Dr Nidal Abu Zaid indicates that this attack is linked to a number of other attacks on American bases, such as the attack on an American base in Northern Iraq.

Abu Zaid sees the attack as a response to developments in the Gaza Strip, and the American military and political support for the Israeli occupation. 

Manzil Al-Nuaimi, a writer and researcher on international relations, considers this attack a response to the American support for Israel in its aggression against Gaza, and believes Iran to be seeking to inflict political crises on the American and Israeli interiors.

Jordan rules out response 

The government recently confirmed that Jordan will continue confronting the threat of terrorism and the smuggling of drugs and weapons across the Syrian border into Jordan and will confront with all power anyone who attempts to threaten Jordan’s security.

Moreover, Jordan announced that they are ‘co-operating with its partners to secure the borders and have asked the United States and other allied countries to provide it with military systems and equipment necessary to increase the capabilities to secure the border and confront the dangers across them”.

But Abu Zaid explains that the Jordanian side is outside the scope of targeting. From the beginning, the government stated that the threats were outside its borders, aiming to avoid drifting towards uncalculated operations in co-operation with the American side.

And Al-Nuaimi believes that Jordan is hoping not to be targeted, and this is evident through their clear position, specifically in their confrontation of the allies of the Western powers, and recently in confronting the Israeli war against Gaza.

As for the improvement of border defence capabilities, Abu Zaid believes that the Jordan Armed Forces are fully aware of the challenges they face on the northern border and are working hard to develop its methods and equipment to keep pace with security and military developments to confront potential challenges and threats.

A statement by Petra News Agency specified the mission of these forces, saying that they will “cooperate with Jordan in confronting the threat of terrorism and securing the borders.”

According to official Pentagon figures, there are 2900 American soldiers on military bases in Jordan.

American Threat

Commenting on President Joe Biden’s threat after the attack, Abu Zaid explains the current American response strategy, saying it appears the current administration is not moving towards expanding the scope of conflict in the region, especially with the approaching US Presidential election at the end of this year, and in light of this preparation, the United States is avoiding military or security options that would weaken the position of the current administration.

It is expected that the American response will be strong and measured at the same time, with the focus on using intelligence or targeting operations. The aim of the response may be to direct specific strikes at the sites belonging to the militias that carried out the attack on the base, according to Abu Zaid.

Al-Nuaimi believes that Iranian view of Jordan focuses on its strategic role, especially regarding its geographical location in the region, because of the intersection of the Shiite Crescent with the Sunni world, as Iran seeks, through its affiliates in the region, to try and achieve strategic gains.

While Abu Zaid explains that the parties to the conflict seem to have agreed not to escalate in the region, to avoid drifting towards conventional military operations with unpredictable consequences, while Iranian side seeks to exploit the tensions occurring in the region to achieve gains in the nuclear negotiations and advance the un-freezing of its funds in American and European banks.

Statistics show that about 2500 American soldiers are in Iraq, in addition to 900 others in Syria, as part of a mission to provide advice and support to local forces, according to US statements.