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They killed 3 U.S. soldiers and wounded 34 others at a base along Jordan-Syria border. Biden vows to retaliate after 3 U.S. troops killed in drone attack.

President Joe Biden has vowed to retaliate after 3 U.S. servicemembers were killed in a drone attack on a base in Jordan, near the Syrian border. They are the first U.S. deaths in months of attacks by Iran-backed militant groups since the Israel-Hamas war began, though Iran has insisted it did not order the strike.

IDF says it killed 3 terrorists planning Oct. 7-like attack hiding in Jenin hospital. Gallant: Israeli troops to act soon at Lebanon border * US to take ‘all necessary actions’ to defend its forces after deadly strike in Jordan. Iran is at the tipping point. Israel -  Hamas is the biggest conflagration in Middle East today, sparks and fires are emerging across means key to preventing escalation lies in Iran as well. Iran, a Shia Muslim state, arms, trains supports network of militant groups across region. While most tensions there historically fall along the Sunni-Shia religious divide, Iran's " axis of resistance" includes groups on both sides. Right now, Iran is stirring up trouble on a half-dozen fronts. It's a major supporter of Hamas, the Sunni Muslim militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7 is bankrolls Hezbollah. In Red eas, Yemen-based Iran-backed Houthis endanger global shipping. And just past 2-weeks, Iran has attacked targets in Pakistan, Syria and Iraq.

U S. would love to detach itself from Middle East's problems, but Iran is making that impossible.Israel remains the main front of Iran's aggression, though the U.S. assessed that Iran was not likely involved in planning Oct. 7 attack, Iran's long-standing support certainly facilitated Hamas' actions its continued ability to fight in Gaza now, likely trigger for widening the war is Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah Shia Muslim militant has frequently skirmished with Israel's military. Hezbollah stepped up attacks after Oct. 7, in solidarity with Hamas, led Israel to respond in kind. Fighting on the border continues to intensify.Hezbollah was created by Iran in the 1980s specifically to oppose Israel armed, it's boasts tens of thousands of fighters for Iran's bidding, for better or for worse. If Iran wants to keep border from catching fire, a high-risk flashpoint is the Red Sea, where Houthis Shia militant controls most of Yemen been attacking ships for months, disrupting commerce & leading major shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope.

U.S. & UK scaled up response to striking Houthi targets, but didn't succumb to nearly decade of Saudi Arabia's pummeling. If US planning a ground invasion — improbable under any circumstance It need different approach to liberate critical ship choke point the Sunni militant. While In south western Pakistan on Jan. 16. Iran claimed it hit a base of the insurgent group Jaish al-Adl, which Tehran claims launched deadly attacks into Iran. Pakistan insists attack was unprovoked, ousted Iran's ambassador & then struck Baluch insurgent training camps in southeastern Iran in retaliation.

The presence of militant on each side of this border has long been a source of tension, the 2-countries  Tehran and Islamabad quickly agreed to de-escalate situation, but within 24 hours, Iran also launched missiles into Syria & Iraq claiming it hit Israeli. These are very different missions against very different foes. Iran taking direct action rather than relying on proxies plausible deniability was a clear departure fm norm. 

Iranian-backed militants in Iraq have stepped up attacks on U.S. personnel positions too, leading the US to conduct significant airstrikes in response, in yet another sign of violence on the rise. Most major terrorist attacks on its territory and dust still settling is not biggest public uprising since the 1979 Islamic Revolution over 2022 death of Mahsa Amini regime. Iran clearly feeling need to project power, risk of miscalculation as mistake gets higher by day. Non-actors have less to lose making them more unpredictable.

U.S. ability to shape Iran's behavior with diplomatic or economic levers died when Iran nuclear deal in 2018, leaving U.S. military tools to lean on are risky at best could drag into direct conflict with Iran.