the americans say the attack happened at a base known as tower 22, right on the syrian jordanian border. it s one of many american bases across the region. there have been dozens of drone and missile attacks in recent months, but no american personnel have been killed until now. joe biden, seen here attending church, was quick to point the finger. it s not necessarily a tipping point into uncontrolled escalation between the united states and iran, but it s another very dangerous step because, as i say, the us will have to respond even more strongly than it s done to previous attacks. carefully cultivated over years, iran has a wide network of allies and proxies operating in countries across the middle east. they re all opposed to israel and the united states. it s sometimes called the axis of resistance. there are pro iranian militias in lebanon, the palestinian territories, gaza and the west bank, plus iraq and syria. and far to the south, there s also the houthis in yemen.