Biden Prepares Tiered Response to Drone Attack: No Wider War in the Middle East

US President Joe Biden has announced that he has made a decision on how to respond to the recent drone attack that killed three US service members in Jordan. The White House has indicated that they are considering a tiered approach to punishing the Iran-backed militant groups responsible for the attack, without seeking a wider war in the Middle East. Biden emphasized that the decision was made after consulting with top advisors, but did not provide any details on what the response would entail. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that it is possible that the US could take multiple actions against the militant groups responsible.

While the US has indicated that Iran-backed militant groups in Syria and Iraq were behind the attack, Biden also made it clear that he does not seek confrontation with Iran and is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that the US response could be multi-leveled, come in stages and be sustained over time. The incident, which took place at the Tower 22 base in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, has resulted in at least 34 further servicemembers being injured.

While Iran denies any involvement in the drone strike, an Iran-aligned militant group operating in Iraq, Kataeb Hezbollah, has announced the suspension of military and security operations against US troops in the region. Furthermore, the US President is set to attend the dignified transfer of the bodies of the three servicemembers killed in Sunday's attack. The US is now faced with the challenge of formulating an appropriate response that will hold the Iran-backed militants accountable without escalating the situation into a wider conflict with Iran.