//The Wire//2130Z January 29, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: THREE U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN NORTHERN JORDAN, DOZENS WOUNDED//

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-International Events-

Middle East: Yesterday three American service members were killed, and 34 wounded in a kamikaze drone strike on a covert base in northern Jordan. The strike appears to have targeted a tent serving as temporary billeting for transient personnel traveling through the base.

Red Sea/HOA: The fire onboard the M/V MARLIN LUANDA has reportedly been extinguished. The vessel is being escorted by coalition warships as she attempts to make port.

-HomeFront-

TX: No major developments as Texas continues strengthening positions along the border. However, now that the crossing IVO Eagle Pass is largely closed, illegals have been observed bypassing most of the obstacles, crossing illegally into the U.S. just a few miles away from Eagle Pass where there are no barriers or efforts to stop them.

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Analyst Comments: In Jordan, considering there are multiple bases in the region that are host to Special Operations, confusion persists as to the location of the base itself. There are two larger forward operating bases in the region, the more overt of which is Al-Tanf (also called At-Tanf), which is in Syria, approximately 13 miles northwest of the triple point of the Iraqi, Syrian, and Jordanian borders.

The other site is a different Tactical Base, known to the public as Tower 22, located about 15 miles away in Jordan, roughly half a mile inside the border. Officially, CENTCOM has not confirmed the name of the base that was struck, mentioning an unnamed base in “northeast Jordan”, which through process of elimination is almost certainly Tower 22.

Additionally, no independent verification of battle damage will be obtained by open-source satellite imagery as the next Sentinel 2A pass is scheduled for Feb 11. By then, American forces will have repaired or concealed the damage.

In response to the strike, substantial strategic resources have been observed moving into the Middle East theatre. It is certain that the U.S. is planning substantial airstrikes in retaliation for the targeting of At-Tanf. However, the target is less clear. Though impossible to judge at this time, it is possible that this may be the tipping point for the U.S. to conduct strikes in Iran, as several U.S. politicians have openly been advocating for.

Analyst: S2A

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