The American response to the drone attack on US forces in Jordan that killed three American troops and wounded dozens of others will be more powerful than the retaliatory strikes carried out in Iraq and Syria.
US President Joe Biden is facing huge pressure to respond in such a manner that these attacks end for good as Iran-backed militants have targeted American military facilities in Iraq and Syria over 160 times since October. Calls have grown within the US political establishment to strike Iran but the Biden administration does not want to trigger a major conflict in West Asia.
“(The response) could be multileveled, come in stages and be sustained over time,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, according to news broadcaster CNN. Officials told the broadcaster that a cyberattack could also be mounted against the perpetrators. “We’re not taking anything off the table,” a US defence official was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
The US officials are saying the Iranian proxy group Kataib Hezbollah appears to have supported the strike but have not revealed much information about the origin of the drone or which militants launched it in order to preserve some element of surprise in the event of an US retaliatory strike.
The US holds Iran ultimately responsible for the attacks and says the attackers were funded by Tehran but said there is no clear indication yet that Iran explicitly directed Sunday’s deadly attack or intended a deliberate escalation, the broadcaster said citing officials. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has also denied being involved.
“I don’t think this was intended as an escalation. It is the same type of attack they’ve done 163 times before and on 164 they get lucky,” one official was quoted as saying.
“We know these groups are supported by Iran, and therefore they do have their fingerprints on this, but I can’t tell you more in terms of who directed it,” Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, said during a briefing on Monday.
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