The attack has left the White House facing
the difficult balancing act of responding to Iran in ways that will deter future attacks without triggering a wider conflict — something the Biden administration has been adamant about avoiding since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Sunday’s attack in Jordan marked the first time U.S. service members have been killed in the Middle East since the war in Gaza began in October, adding a new layer of complexity for the White House.
“
We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves … and to respond appropriately to these attacks,” national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday.
President Biden has pledged to respond to the latest attacks in a “time and manner of our choosing.”
The president
met Monday with members of his national security team, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who on Monday returned to the Pentagon for the first time since undergoing surgery for prostate cancer.
Asked if Biden is considering a strike inside the country, Kirby would not say whether it was on the table.
American troops have come under fire from Iranian-backed groups more than 160 times since late October.
The White House has in recent weeks launched precision strikes targeting Iranian-backed militia targets and struck back against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen after the rebel group targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
But the death of U.S. troops will increase the stakes for Biden, particularly among Republican defense hawks in Congress who are already calling for retaliation, including inside Iran.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
