U.S. strikes targets in Iraq, Syria as response to attack that killed 3 soldiers

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military struck dozens of targets in the Middle East on Friday, responding with force after three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a base in Jordan earlier this week.

According to U.S. Central Command, which coordinated the attacks, the airstrikes in Iraq and Syria targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and "affiliated militia groups." U.S. aircraft, including some long-range bombers flown from stateside bases, struck more than 85 targets, including what CentCom described as command-and-control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities.

The U.S. strikes appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran. However, President Joe Biden later issued a statement warning that the military response would continue "at times and places of our choosing."

Three soldiers – all from Georgia – were killed and dozens wounded in a drone attack on a secretive Jordan base Sunday. The United States on Wednesday attributed the attack to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias.

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At the time, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden was continuing to weigh retaliation options to the attack but said "the first thing you see won’t be the last thing," adding it "won't be a one-off."

Dignified transfer for attack victims

Meanwhile, President Biden and first lady Jill Biden joined grieving families at the Dover Air Force Base on Friday to honor the three service members who were killed.

The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday identified the three Army Reserve soldiers as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah.

The three were killed on Jan. 28, in Jordan, "when a one-way unmanned aerial system (OWUAS) impacted their container housing units near the Syrian border," known as Tower 22. Dozens of others were injured in the strike, which remains under investigation.

Biden attends dignified transfer of 3 fallen soldiers

The Bidens met privately with the families before the dignified transfer. President Biden did not speak during the ceremony.

At Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol, Biden acknowledged Rivers, Moffett and Sanders by name, again vowing to never forget their sacrifice to the nation.

"They risked it all," the president said.

FOX News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.