The US Secretary of Defense promises to take “all necessary measures” after Sunday’s attack in Jordan
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured this Monday that the United States will take “all necessary measures” to defend its troops after a drone attack by Iranian-backed militiamen killed three US soldiers and injured dozens more.
Sunday's attack was the first deadly attack on U.S. forces since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October and represents a significant escalation in tensions in the Middle East.
“Let me start with my outrage and pain [por] “For the deaths of three brave American soldiers in Jordan and for the other soldiers injured,” Austin said at the start of his meeting at the Pentagon with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “President [de EE UU, Joe Biden] and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces and will take all necessary measures to defend the United States and our troops.”
American troops have been attacked more than 150 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, as have warships in the Red Sea, where Houthi fighters in Yemen fired drones and missiles at them. This offensive multiplies political pressure on President Joe Biden to attack Iran directly, something he has previously refused to do for fear of a larger war.
Biden's response options could range from attacking Iranian forces outside or even inside Iran to opting for a more cautious retaliatory strike only against the Iranian-backed militiamen responsible, experts say. “Iran continues to destabilize the region, including by supporting terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea,” Stoltenberg said. (Portal)