President Joe Biden has declared that he has reached a resolution on how to address the drone assault that resulted in the deaths of three U.S. soldiers and left dozens of others injured at a base in northeastern Jordan. As he departed from the White House on Tuesday morning, Biden confirmed to a reporter that he had indeed made a decision in response to the attack by Iran-backed militants on Sunday. Biden’s comments follow his pledge to retaliate and punish all those responsible for the deadly attack, which left over 30 soldiers injured. When questioned about holding Iran accountable for the attack, the president expressed that he does so “in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it.” This attack marked the first U.S. casualties by Iranian-backed militant groups in months since the Israel-Hamas conflict commenced on October 7th. The explosive-laden drone detonated near a shelter where some troops were resting at a logistics support base in northeastern Jordan, as informed by two U.S. officials to NBC News. According to U.S. Central Command, eight of the injured individuals were evacuated from the country for advanced medical care and are in stable condition. In a statement on Sunday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for drone strikes on Al-Shaddadi base in Syria, the Al-Rukban and Al-Tanf bases on the Syria-Jordan border, and the Zevulun naval facility in Israel. It remains unclear whether the Islamic Resistance in Iraq is responsible for the attack on U.S. troops in Jordan. In his initial remarks on the attack, Biden requested a moment of silence at a South Carolina church event for the “three brave souls” lost in the attack, affirming, “We shall respond.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the U.S. response to the weekend’s attack could be “multileveled” and “come in stages and be sustained over time.” Guiding a joint press conference with NATO General Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken assured, “We will respond, we will respond strongly. We will respond at a time and place of our choosing.” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby emphasized that Biden was contemplating various options for retaliation and stressed that the administration does not “want a wider war with Iran.” Kirby also highlighted the U.S.’s awareness of Tehran’s support for militant groups in the region, underscoring, “We’re taking that very seriously. We don’t want a wider war with Iran. We don’t want a wider war in the region, but we got to do what we have to do.” Members of both the House and Senate are slated to receive classified briefings on the fatal attack on U.S. troops this week. The Biden administration authorized airstrikes this month on Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been targeting ships in the Red Sea, and on other Iran-linked militia groups that have directed attacks at U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria. Lawmakers from both parties have demanded the president seek a new authorization for the use of military force from Congress before taking further action.
