Washington will resolutely respond to attacks on its positions in the Middle East, and this can happen in stages. This statement was made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 29 during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington.
“The response (for the attack on the US base in the al-Tanf area – Ed.) can be multi-level, occur in stages and be sustained over time,” he indicated.
In addition, Blinken noted that the Middle East is currently facing its most difficult times since 1973, and the United States is trying to prevent a new escalation in the region.
Earlier that day, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Iran was responsible for the attack on a US military base in the Syrian region of Tanf. She also indicated that the Kataib Hezbollah group, part of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, may be involved in an attack on US forces in the al-Tanf area on the border of Jordan and Syria.
An attack by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a US base in northern Jordan became known the day before, on January 28. The drone strike killed three American troops and injured 25 others. CNN noted that this is the first time since the beginning of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that American troops have died from “enemy fire.”
Political scientist and ex-journalist for The New York Times John Varoli, in a conversation with Izvestia, noted that the death of American soldiers at a military base in Jordan at the hands of American President Joe Biden and the United States needs to leave the Middle East.
US President Joe Biden in his statement he named the culprits attacks on Iran-backed groups operating in Iraq and Syria. He indicated that they would be held accountable for the attack.
Minister of Communications and Jordanian government spokesman Muhannad al-Mubaidin said on January 28 that the American base that was attacked was located outside Jordan's borders. As an official representative of the Jordanian Cabinet noted, a US base in the Syrian city of al-Tanf was attacked.
Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said in his official address that the United States will not tolerate attacks on American military bases in the Middle East and will take all necessary actions to protect them. The Washington Post reported that the Shiite resistance in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, took responsibility for the attack on a US military base in northern Jordan.
On January 29, the coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the United States would respond to an attack against the military in the Middle East, but Washington would first choose the time and method for this. He stressed that the Biden administration “does not want a wider war with Iran,” and added that Washington is aware of Tehran’s support for militant groups in the region.
Attacks on American bases in the Middle East have become more frequent amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in which the United States supported Israel.
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