Options for US retaliation for the death of its military in the Middle East are named

In Washington, politicians and military officials continue to frantically search for ways to respond to the deadly militant attack on American soldiers stationed in Jordan. It’s about eating fish and listening to the radio. In other words, to carry out harsh retribution for the deaths of military personnel – but not to drag the United States into a wide war in the Middle East.

The US response to the drone attack in Jordan that killed and wounded US troops on Sunday is likely to be more powerful than previous US retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria, sources told CNN, although the Pentagon and White House are being cautious about saying about the Biden administration’s plans.

Yet the President of the United States himself is under increasing pressure to respond in a way that stops these attacks for good. As CNN recalls, Iran-backed militants have attacked US military targets in Iraq and Syria more than 160 times since October, and several Republican lawmakers have already called for the US to strike Iran directly to send a clear message.

But the biggest challenge now for the Biden administration is how to respond to the drone strike in Jordan, the deadliest attack on US forces in the region since the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 US troops in the final days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. , but in such a way as not to provoke a large-scale regional war.

In recent months, the United States has carried out several strikes on Iranian proxies’ weapons depots in Iraq and Syria. To date, however, none of these strikes have deterred the militants – and more than 120 US troops have been wounded in 165 attacks across the region since October.

But retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling says the U.S. military deaths have “certainly crossed the president’s red line,” and he is now expected to respond more forcefully, one that won’t necessarily be limited to one country or one day. But sources suggest that it is still unlikely that the United States will strike directly at Iranian territory.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the situation in the Middle East is as dangerous as it has been in the region “at least since 1973, and possibly earlier.” Blinken added that the US response “can be multi-layered, implemented in stages and sustained over time.”

The Biden administration could decide to re-strike militant groups in Iraq, Syria or both countries, and could also target regional militia leaders. In at least one case in early January, Americans struck a senior figure in the pro-Iranian Harakat al-Nujaba group who had previously attacked U.S. forces. An offensive cyber attack is another option, officials noted.

At the same time, according to officials, striking Iran is one of the least likely options at the moment. Biden officials said repeatedly Monday that the U.S. does not want to go to war with Tehran, which would be a likely outcome of a U.S. strike within Iran’s borders. “We are not seeking war with Iran. We are not looking for a broader conflict in the Middle East,” John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, told CNN on Monday. “In fact, every action the president took was aimed at de-escalation, at trying to reduce tensions.”

While the US holds Iran ultimately responsible for the attacks, given Tehran’s financial and military support for proxy groups, there is no indication yet that the Iranians clearly directed Sunday’s deadly attack or planned it as a deliberate escalation against the US, multiple sources told CNN.

The Iranian government also denies any involvement in the incident in Jordan.

“I don’t think this was intended as an escalation,” CNN quoted an unnamed US official as saying. “This is the same type of attack that they made 163 times before, and on the 164th time they got lucky.”

The attack was different from the previous 160-plus strikes, officials said, in that the strike successfully struck a living container at a U.S. base called Tower 22 early Sunday morning, when troops were still in their beds and had little time to evacuate. . The drone was also flying low, potentially allowing it to evade the base’s air defenses, and approached the base around the same time the U.S. drone was returning from a mission. This likely caused confusion and may have delayed the response.

“We know that these groups are backed by Iran, and therefore their fingerprints are on this, but I can’t tell you more about who was in charge,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said at a briefing Monday.

While the White House may really want to avoid further escalation in the already white-hot Middle East region, Biden is being taken lightly by his political opponents within the US. Republicans accuse the president of being soft and indecisive, and many Democratic Party supporters would clearly like to see a tough response to the deaths of American soldiers. But Biden is also not in a position to get involved in a new war on the eve of the November elections. In a word, I want and inject…