President Joe Biden confirmed Tuesday his decision on how the U.S. will respond to a recent drone attack in Jordan that resulted in three American casualties.
This declaration comes as tensions escalate in the Middle East. The Biden administration seeks a measured response to avoid a broader conflict.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, intimated aboard Air Force One the possibility of a multi-tiered response by the U.S.
“It’s fair for you to expect that we will respond in an appropriate fashion and it is very possible that what you’ll see is a tiered approach here, not just a single action, but essentially multiple actions,” Kirby stated.
Biden maintained his cautious stance against a broader conflict in the Middle East.
“I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for,” Biden said.
When pressed about Iran’s involvement, Biden acknowledged their indirect role, stating, “I do hold … them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons” to the attackers.
The scenario has become increasingly complex following the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza.
CNN’s Stephen Collinson claimed that the U.S. finds itself embroiled in regional conflict, despite Biden’s earlier pronouncement ending the protracted combat mission in Iraq.
U.S. reprisals against Iranian-backed Houthi forces in the Red Sea follows after 160 attacks on American military sites, yet failed to thwart the Jordan drone strike.
Collinson noted, “If there is an upside to this spiraling military activity it's that, as serious as it is, it's unfolding as a set of controlled escalations that has yet to acquire its own destructive momentum.”
The situation’s gravity was underscored by Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, who branded current Middle East tensions as the most dangerous since at least 1973.
During a press briefing with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Blinken remarked, "This is an incredibly volatile time in the Middle East…we've not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we're facing now across the region since at least 1973, and arguably even before that.”
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