A National Security Council spokesman was asked at the conference whether the president was considering striking Iran in connection with Sunday's attack on US forces in Jordan at the Tower 22 base on the border with Syria.
“The aim of everything we have done so far has been to try to calm these tensions. However, this was a very serious attack with deadly consequences. We will respond and we will respond accordingly,” John Kirby stressed.
John Kirby: We know that Iran supports militias in Syria and Iraq
According to the Pentagon, three soldiers were killed in the attack and at least 40 others were injured. Kirby said that although US agencies are investigating the extent of Iran's involvement in the attacks, it is clear that Iran supports militias in Syria and Iraq, which have carried out nearly 170 attacks against US forces in the region since October.
-We know they support them. We know that they provide them with resources. We know they are training them. We know that they will certainly not be deterred from these attacks, whether it is the Houthi attacks, or what Hamas did on October 7, or what Hezbollah is capable of doing. And of course what these militias are still doing now in places like Iraq and Syria, Kirby said.
But he stressed that he would not announce in advance and “warn of strikes” from the United States. He also rejected accusations that the Biden administration's strategy is based on “appeasing” Tehran and that it only encourages Iran to carry out more attacks because there are no serious consequences. Kirby noted that the Biden administration has imposed more than 500 sanctions on Iran, and that retaliatory strikes against militias attacking American soldiers have so far been serious and effective and “have had a decisive impact on weakening and disrupting the activities of some of these groups.”
The Pentagon is investigating the attack on the American base in Jordan
As Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Monday, the group responsible for the attack has not yet been identified. But she added that the strike “certainly bears traces of Kataib Hezbollah,” an Iraq-based militia that has repeatedly attacked US forces before. Singh said that the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) is investigating the circumstances of the attack and the type of drone used.
According to the Wall Street Journal and Politico, the enemy drone was not shot down because it was flying behind the American drone, which was returning to the base at the same time.
“I have seen these reports, and it is something the Central Command is looking into,” Singh said. She also noted that aside from the deaths of American soldiers, Sunday's attack is not much different from nearly 170 other attacks that have so far not caused serious injuries to soldiers or damage to infrastructure.
The victims of the attack were US Army reservists from Georgia. They participated in the American mission against ISIS.
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