Biden 'has chosen his target' for revenge strike on drone deaths of three US troops after Iran gives 'red lines for WWIII'
PRESIDENT Joe Biden “has chosen his target” for a revenge attack after three US troops were killed by a drone strike in Jordan.
Biden has yet to finalize his decision to punish Iran-backed militias, but is determined to avoid these actions a wider war.
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After consultation with top advisors from the White Housethe US The president answered “yes” to reporters when asked if he had decided how he would respond for Sunday's attack.
“I don't think we need a broader war in the Middle East. That's not what I'm looking for,” he added.
Biden's comments come after an Iran-backed militia group claimed responsibility for the overnight drone attack on a US military base in the northeast Jordan known as Tower 22 on weekends.
But while Iran itself has denied any direct involvement in Sunday's attack, it has warned the US that any reaction on its soil is a red line.
If Iranian soil takes a direct hit, Tehran claims it will hit back at US assets in the region Middle East.
Both countries have reiterated that they are not looking to spark open war, but that any wrong move by the US could bring the two nations into direct conflict.
Iran's warning comes as they await Biden's impending response on high alert.
The American president was taking into account lightning fast naval targets following the deaths of Sergeant William Jerome Rivers, 46, Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23.
Dozens of others were also injured in Sunday's strike near the Syrian border.
It marked the first American deaths from enemy fire since the start of World War II Israel-Hamas war – a major escalation of the crisis manifesting itself throughout the region.
Asked whether Iran should be blamed for the attack, Biden said: “I hold them responsible in the sense that they are providing the weapons to the people who did it.”
While it remains unclear how Biden and the U.S. will respond, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said a “layered approach” may be taken.
“It's fair that you expect us to respond in an appropriate manner,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday ahead of Biden's flight to Florida.
“It's entirely possible that you'll see a multi-layered approach here, not just a single action, but essentially multiple actions,” he said.
Kirby added: “The guiding principle is to ensure that we continue to downgrade the kind of capabilities that these groups have available to use against our forces and our facilities.
“The president will do what he needs to do to protect our troops, our facilities and ensure our national security.”
President Biden has a number of options to consider, including retaliatory strikes on Iran-allied bases and commanders.
The US could also target senior commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Iraq or Syria.
Amid ongoing tensions, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Simon Shercliff on Tuesday.
They demanded the Britain ends his accusations that Iran is trying to intimidate Iranian dissidents living in Britain.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confidently noted that events in the region were still moving in Iran's direction.
He said the White House knew full well that “a political solution” was needed to end the carnage in the besieged Gaza Strip and the current crisis in the Middle East.
It comes after Kata'ib Hezbollah, an armed faction of the Islamic Resistance, announced the immediate “suspension” of military operations against the US both in Syria and Iraq.
The decision was made to avoid “mercy” for the Iraqi government after the Pentagon said Sunday's attack bore the “footprints” of the Iraq-based terror group.
But Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have announced their plan to continue attacking US and British warships in the Red Sea in self-defence.
The group's military spokesperson made the announcement in a statement carried by Al-Massirah TV after missiles were fired at the US warship USS Gravely. report Times of Israel.
But Britain prepares to send an aircraft carrier to the Red Sea to destroy Houthi targets in Yemen with F-35 Lightning jets.
Defense Secretary James Heappey gave a “whopping clue” that one of the From the Navy two aircraft carriers would be ordered to steam into the battle.
Who are Kata'ib Hezbollah?
KATA'IB Hezbollah is a radical Shia paramilitary group based in southern Iraq.
The group, also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, emerged in the early 2000s and has been blamed for violence across Iraq.
It has close ties with Iran's ally Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran's terrorist army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The group is also affiliated with the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Force), an alliance of Iranian-backed former paramilitary groups that have now been integrated into Iraq's regular armed forces.
With around 10,000 members, the group is responsible for attacks on US targets in Iraq and Syria, killing hundreds of soldiers.
Its leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in February 2020.
The Pentagon believes that a drone strike on a US base near the Syria-Jordan border on January 27, which killed three personnel, bore the group's “footprints”.
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