President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he’s decided how the U.S. will retaliate after a drone strike in Jordan killed three American soldiers.
Biden did not detail how the administration plans to respond, or when those actions would be taken. But the expectation is that it will come soon and possibly in waves over the days ahead.
During a brief back-and-forth with reporters outside the White House, Biden said he’s not seeking a war with Iran, even though he held the nation somewhat responsible for the attack.
“I do hold them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it,” Biden said as he left for campaign events in Florida. “I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for."
The remarks were Biden’s first since Sunday after news broke about the weekend drone strike launched by Iranian proxies on a U.S. base in Jordan that killed three troops and wounded dozens more. Biden spoke briefly at the time, saying the U.S. “shall respond.” He then spent much of Monday huddling with his national security team, weighing options for a response.
Later on Tuesday, news surfaced that Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Iraq, was halting operations against the U.S.
"Actions speak louder than words," Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters when asked for comment, adding "there will be consequences."
The U.S. has yet to blame a specific group for the attack, but on Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters that the drone attack had "the footprints" of Kataib Hezbollah.
On Tuesday morning, Biden spoke with each of the three soldiers' families, where he offered condolences and support, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. Biden is planning to attend those soldiers' dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on Friday, after all three of the families gave their permission.
The White House has refused to specify what choices were presented to Biden, vowing only to respond forcefully on its own schedule. Yet among the possibilities, officials told POLITICO, were striking Iranian personnel in Syria or Iraq or Iranian naval assets in the Persian Gulf.
White House officials have also stressed that, even as the U.S. is obligated to retaliate, there’s little appetite for escalating the already tense situation across the region.
“We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate,” Kirby said Monday. "But we will absolutely do what is required.”
Lara Seligman and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
