The White House on Monday vowed to hit back against Iran after a drone strike killed three U.S. service members at an American military outpost in Jordan.
Officials also cautioned that President Biden wants to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East.
An Iranian-backed militant group is believed to be behind the attack, making it one of several attacks in the region spurred by Tehran. However, U.S. officials are working to conclusively identify which group was responsible for the attack.
“These troops were conducting a vital mission in the region aimed at helping us work with partners to counter ISIS,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House.
“We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate but we will absolutely do what is required to protect yourselves, to continue that mission and respond appropriately to these attacks,” he said.
Attacks continue to escalate on U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East following the outbreak of war between Israel and Iranian-backed Hamas in Gaza. On Sunday, three U.S. troops were kipped and at least 34 more injured when an aerial drone hit an American military base in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border.
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. service members since 13 Americans were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul in 2021 as the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan.
Mr. Kirby offered few details about the the response mulled by Mr. Biden. He said the president was weighing his options and would respond in a way “fully cognizant of the fact that these groups backed by Tehran have just taken the lives of American troops.”
Earlier Monday, Mr. Biden met with his national security team in the White House situation room to discuss the attacks and weigh potential responses.
Mr. Kirby pushed back on questions from reporters about the ineffectiveness of previous strikes on Iranian-backed proxies that did little to deter more attacks on U.S. personnel.
“The strikes that we have taken in the past have definitely had an impact on degrading and disrupting some of these groups,” Mr. Kirby said. “Clearly they have decided to conduct these attacks and now have lethal consequences for American troops.”
Republicans in Congress have demanded Mr. Biden retaliate against Iran in the attack at the outpost known as Tower 22, which houses about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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