President Biden signaled on Tuesday that he had decided how to respond after three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone attack that his administration blamed on Iranian-backed militias.
Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for a campaign event in Florida, the president answered “Yes,” when asked if he had decided on a response, but did not elaborate.
File: US President Joe Biden answers questions as he departs the White House in Washington, DC, January 30, 2024 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The president said Iran was responsible for supplying the attackers with weapons, but said he did not want to escalate tensions with the Islamic Republic.
“I don’t think a broader war in the Middle East is necessary,” he said. “That’s not what I’m looking for.”
Pentagon questions Iranian-backed militia claims to halt attacks on US troops: ‘Actions speak louder than words’
U.S. officials have questioned which of several Iranian-backed groups was responsible for the killing of a U.S. soldier, the first in a series of attacks on U.S. forces in the region since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. He said he is still determining who is involved.
It was not immediately clear whether this meant Biden had decided on a specific plan for retaliation. Other administration officials have provided few details about the response.
A map showing the location of Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, near the Syria-Iraq border. (Fox News)
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One with Biden that he had no intention of predicting the U.S. response, but suggested it would be phased in. did.
“What we see here is very likely to be a step-by-step approach, not just a single action, but potentially multiple actions over a period of time,” he said.
Pentagon says Israel-Hamas war is not escalating despite US soldiers killed in Jordan and Red Sea attacks
The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia. Special Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia. and Spc. Breonna Alexandria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Army Reserve announced Tuesday that it had posthumously promoted Sanders and Moffett to the rank of sergeant.
LR: Sergeant William Rivers, Special Corp. Breonna Moffett and Spc. Kennedy Sanders. (Fox News)
According to U.S. military officials, there have been a total of 166 attacks on U.S. military facilities since October 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria, and one in Jordan.
Meanwhile, Yemen-based Houthi militants have been firing on commercial ships in the Red Sea, prompting retaliatory attacks by the United States and its allies.
On Tuesday, Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq was again targeted by a single rocket, but the attack caused no damage or injuries, US military officials said.
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The three soldiers killed in the attack on Jordan were the first U.S. military fatalities due to enemy fire in the Middle East since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas. A contractor also died of a heart attack after the attack on al-Assad in December. Two U.S. Navy SEALs are reported missing and killed during a mission in the Red Sea.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
