As of: February 4, 2024, 5:01 a.m
By: Fabian Hartmann
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After the drone attack on a US base in Jordan, the US Secretary of Defense has now announced a reaction.
This should be multi-stage.
Washington/Amman – Fears of an expansion of the crisis in the Middle East continue to grow.
After two American soldiers and a soldier were killed and dozens more injured by pro-Iranian militias in a drone attack on a US military base not far from Jordan's border with Syria on Sunday (January 28), the US government has once again announced retaliation.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described the situation in the Middle East as a “dangerous moment” given the drone attack by pro-Iranian militias on US soldiers, he announced at a press conference at the Pentagon on Thursday.
“The President will not tolerate attacks on American troops, and I will not do that either.” They do want to avoid a major conflict in the region.
“But we want to hold the people responsible for this accountable,” Austin emphasized.
USA announces response to attacks on US soldiers: “Hold those responsible accountable”
In doing so, the US Secretary of Defense is following on from Joe Biden's choice of words, who declared on Sunday in a direct reaction to the drone attack that action would be taken against "radical, Iran-backed militant groups" operating in Iraq and Syria.
“Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible accountable, at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said.
The group “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” had previously claimed responsibility for the drone attack on a US military base in Jordan.
The association is considered a kind of umbrella group for pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, which have been operating together under this name since Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7th.
One of the strongest militias in Iraq is the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah.
She demands that the USA withdraw its troops from Iraq.
Reaction to attack in Jordan: Austin speaks of “multi-stage” retaliatory strikes
At his press conference at the Pentagon, Austin also made it clear that the US government had already ordered a series of retaliatory strikes.
These should extend over more than one day.
“We will respond in multiple stages and are able to respond multiple times depending on the situation,” said the US Secretary of Defense.
Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, comments on the drone attacks in Jordan and announces retaliatory strikes.
© IMAGO/Chad Mcneeley/Dod
According to Austin, it is currently unclear how much Iran previously knew about the attack on the US military base in Jordan.
In principle, however, it doesn't matter because these groups are financed and sometimes trained with the help of Iran.
Without this type of support, such attacks on US bases would not happen, Austin also made clear.
At the same time, he also emphasized once again: “We are not at war with Iran.”
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USA sees Iran partly responsible for drone attack: Tehran rejected connections
US President Biden also emphasized this week that he has no doubts about the complicity of pro-Iranian militias in the drone attack on US forces in Jordan.
“They supplied those who did this with weapons,” the US news channel
ABC
quoted an interview with Biden in front of the White House.
Iran, on the other hand, had so far denied any connections to the attack on the US base at the weekend.
Bilateral military threats – Iran is also considering “consequences” in the event of an attack by the USA
As a result of Sunday's drone attack, the threats and conflicts were not only raised from the American side.
Threats are also already coming from Iran that a response from the US military could have serious “consequences”.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, pro-Iranian militias have carried out almost daily attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria.
According to official figures, there have been over 170 such attacks on US forces.
The USA then responded with air strikes in both countries.
However, these have not yet had the desired effect.
This is also why it is now expected that the US government could take even tougher action in the fight against pro-Iranian militias.
But there are also voices warning of a possible escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
For example, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, recently emphasized at a press conference that the USA does not want to provoke war with Iran.
However, there is no doubt about the complicity of pro-Iranian militias in the attack on the US military base Tower 22 in northern Jordan, which left three dead and 34 injured.
Nor is the fact that this requires a reaction from the USA that only President Biden can decide on.
USA fights against “Axis of Resistance” in many places: Avoid direct conflict with Iran
The US has various options for a military response to attacks by pro-Iranian allies.
In addition to direct military attacks on Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions in Syria and Iraq, some experts also believe cyber attacks on allies' networks are possible.
In addition to the military exchange of blows with the conflicting parties of the self-proclaimed “Axis of Resistance” in Syria and Iraq, the US military is also dealing with attacks from allies in the Red Sea.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked international merchant ships there since Hamas' war with Israel began.
As a result, there is a continued delay in international supply chains because many shipping companies are now taking a detour around the African continent.
In response, the USA and Great Britain carried out military strikes against the Iranian-backed militia in Yemen.
(Fabian Hartmann)