When asked by reporters on Tuesday, President Joe Biden stated that he had made a decision regarding the United States’ response to the drone strike in Jordan, which resulted in the deaths of three United States service members and injuries to a large number of others.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the attack on the tiny outpost that took place on Sunday was the first time that American servicemen had been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East. Following the attack that Hamas carried out on Israel on October 7, administration officials have expressed fear that a vigorous reaction from the United States would be necessary, which could potentially lead to a bigger battlefield conflict.
On Tuesday, as he was getting ready to go on a fundraising tour in south Florida, the President of the United States stated, “I don’t think we need a bigger war in the Middle East.” This statement was a reaffirmation of his wish to prevent a fight in the Middle East that is more extensive. “That is not what I am looking for.”
In addition to the three members of the United States Army who were killed, the drone assault caused injuries to approximately forty other members of the service. CNN had previously reported that a United States official stated that the drone looked to have followed an American drone onto the facility. This has raised suspicions about the origin of the drone and may have delayed the reaction.
Since the 7th of October, militia groups supported by Iran have carried out a number of attacks on United States forces stationed in the Middle East; nevertheless, this particular attack was the most destructive. In addition to these attacks, Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran, have been on a regular basis attacking ships in the Red Sea, which is an important international trade route.
Two Navy SEALs were being searched for illicit Iranian weaponry when they were washed into the waters off the coast of Somalia earlier this month. They were aboard a vessel that was searching for arms. On January 21, it was determined that the SEALs had passed away.
When all of this is going on, Israel is still carrying out its campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 25,000 civilians. Furthermore, Israel has carried out bombings against Hezbollah sites in the neighboring country of Lebanon, which has contributed to an extremely dangerous and lethal situation in the Middle East.
Republicans have criticized the administration of Vice President Joe Biden for not taking sufficient action against Iran-backed groups that are responsible for the attacks. In response to the news that three Americans had been killed, Senator Lindsey Graham asserted that the “policy of deterrence against Iran” implemented by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden had “failed miserably.” She also encouraged Biden to exacerbate the situation by ordering strikes on targets within Iran.
Almost immediately after the drone attack, Vice President Biden issued a statement in which he warned that the United States would respond in a “time and manner of our choosing.” This was done as he was considering ways to prevent future attacks without making the conflict more intense. On Monday, sources in the United States stated that the retribution would be more severe than previous US operations against Iranian interests in Iraq and Syria, but that it was highly unlikely that the United States would strike within Iran.
According to CNN, the strike was carried out by what are believed to be Iranian proxy forces. Biden added that he believed Iran was responsible for having carried out the attack. Tehran has stated that it is not responsible for the attacks and has referred to the allegations of Iranian involvement because they are “baseless.”
“I do hold them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it,” he continued when asked about it. When Biden was asked if the anticipated response from the United States would discourage other attacks, he responded, “We’ll see.”
Post Source: edition.cnn.com
