China warns against 'cycle of retaliation' after US troop deaths in Jordan

China warns against a "cycle of retaliation" in the Middle East after the United States vowed to respond to a drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three American troops, which it blames on Iran-backed militants.

The casualties -- the first US military deaths in an attack in the region since the Israel-Hamas war began -- raised fears of an escalating conflict, as fighting rages in Gaza.