American President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he has decided on the way the United States will respond to the drone attack carried out on Sunday by pro-Iranian groups against American troops stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, after examining how these groups can be punished without provoking a larger war, Reuters reported by Agerpres.
Speaking to the press as he left the White House for an election trip to Florida, Biden did not offer details about his decision, which comes after consulting with his advisors. However, he mentioned that the United States does not need a “more extensive war” in the Middle East, after earlier saying that the United States does not want a war with Iran, which has denied any involvement in the drone attack on American troops in Jordan, resulting in three deaths and 34 injuries. When asked by the press if he has decided how to retaliate to this attack, Biden replied, “Yes.” But “I don’t believe we need a more extensive war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m aiming for,” the American president added.
As for Iran, “I hold them responsible in the sense that they supply weapons” to those carrying out the attacks, explained Biden further. This is the first time American soldiers are killed in the Middle East since the beginning of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a development that causes concerns about the escalation of already high tensions. Since mid-October, there have been over 150 drone or rocket attacks against American troops and other countries in the anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq and Syria, without causing the death of any coalition military member. These attacks have generally been claimed by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a nebulous group of fighters from pro-Iranian armed groups. In retaliation, Washington has carried out several bombings in Iraq targeting fighters and commanders of pro-Iranian armed groups.