Biden says US response to deadly drone strike in Jordan has been decided
President Biden said Tuesday he had decided on a U.S. response to the drone strike on a remote outpost in Jordan on Sunday that killed three U.S. soldiers and injured more than 40 others. What that decision was is not stated.
Asked by reporters outside the White House whether he had decided on a response to the deadly attack, Mr. Biden said: “Yes,” but declined to provide further details.
John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, declined to comment further on Mr. Biden's comments other than to say it was “quite possible” that the United States would implement a “layered approach” – “ not just a single action, but possibly multiple actions” over a period of time.
Biden administration officials have blamed an explosives-laden drone, most likely launched by an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, for the attack — the most deadly of more than 160 militia attacks that the Pentagon says U.S. forces in the region have been affected since the attack. The beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, almost four months ago.
Mr. Biden has vowed to retaliate and has met twice this week with his national security aides to discuss targets in Syria, Iraq and Iran. He could order attacks on Iran's proxy forces, a major escalation from the whacking attacks the United States has carried out in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in recent weeks.
Or Mr. Biden could choose to attack Iran's suppliers of drones and missiles, perhaps including on Iranian soil, which poses a much greater risk. His first targets could be members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, many of whom are based in Syria and Iraq, officials said.
Mr. Biden emphasized on Tuesday that he was trying to avert a broader regional conflict, telling reporters as he prepared to leave for a fundraiser in South Florida: “I don't think we need a broader war in the Middle East to have. That's not what I'm looking for.”
Analysts from the Pentagon and Central Command continued their investigation Tuesday into how the drone evaded air defenses at the small supply base, Tower 22, in northeastern Jordan, near the borders with Iraq and Syria.