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President Biden on Tuesday indicated he had decided on how to reply after three U.S. soldiers had been killed in a drone attack that his administration has blamed on Iran-backed militia teams.
Speaking to reporters on the White House earlier than leaving for a marketing campaign occasion in Florida, the president stated “yes,” when requested if he had decided on a response, although didn’t provide any particulars.
FILE: U.S. President Joe Biden solutions questions whereas departing the White House on January 30, 2024, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The president stated he held Iran accountable as a result of they’d equipped the weapons to the individuals who perpetrated the attack, however certified that he didn’t want to escalate tensions with the Islamic Republic.
“I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East,” he stated. “That’s not what I’m looking for.”
U.S. officers stated they’re nonetheless figuring out which of a number of Iran-backed teams was answerable for the primary killing of American troops in a wave of assaults in opposition to U.S. forces in the area because the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel.
It was not instantly clear whether or not Biden meant he had decided on a selected retaliatory plan. Other administration officers have provided few particulars on any such response.
A map depicting the situation of Tower 22 in northeast Jordan, close to the borders of Syria and Iraq. (Fox News)
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby instructed reporters touring with Biden aboard Air Force One that he wouldn’t preview the U.S. response, however indicated it will come in phases.
“It’s very possible that what you’ll see is a tiered approach here, not just a single action, but potentially multiple actions over a period of time,” he stated.
PENTAGON SAYS ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR ISN’T SPREADING DESPITE US SOLDIERS KILLED IN JORDAN, RED SEA ATTACKS
The Pentagon recognized these killed in the attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Army Reserve introduced on Tuesday that it had posthumously promoted Sanders and Moffett to the rank of sergeant.
L-R: Sgt. William Rivers, Spc. Breonna Moffett, and Spc. Kennedy Sanders. (Fox News )
There have been a complete of 166 assaults on U.S. navy installations since Oct. 18, together with 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, a U.S. navy official stated.
Meanwhile, Houthi militants based mostly in Yemen have been firing upon business vessels in the Red Sea, prompting retaliatory strikes from the U.S. and its allies.
On Tuesday, Al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq was focused once more by a single rocket, however there was no injury and no accidents in that attack, a U.S. navy official stated.
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The three soldiers killed in the Jordan strike had been the primary U.S. navy fatalities in the Middle East from enemy fireplace because the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out. One contractor has additionally died as the results of a coronary heart attack after a strike on Al-Asad in December. Two U.S. Navy SEALs went lacking and have been declared lifeless from a mission in the Red Sea.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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