President Joe Biden said on Tuesday during his departure from the White House that he has decided how the U.S. will respond to the drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan by Iran-backed militants that killed three American soldiers. When asked if a decision has been made regarding a response to the attack, Biden simply said, “Yes.” The President mentioned that the U.S. response to the drone attack will be carried out “over the course of several days,” striking “multiple targets,” and that it will be a very deliberate action, targeting facilities that enabled these attacks on U.S. forces. Additionally on that day, the Iran-backed Hezbollah Brigades based in Iraq stated that it would suspend its military operations against U.S. forces in Iraq. Furthermore, Biden clarified that the U.S. is not seeking to escalate the situation and is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East. While he did not directly blame Iran for the attack, he emphasized that Iran is responsible for arming the proxy groups behind the attack. The President has faced increasing pressure to respond to the attack without intensifying the conflict in the Middle East. This decision is complicated by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the hostage negotiations that the U.S. and other countries have been working on. The White House also confirmed that Biden had spoken with the families of the service members killed and would attend the dignified transfer of their remains on Friday at Dover Air Force Base.
