 Defense &
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Defense &
National Security |
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Biden weighs response on Iran after deadly drone attack |
The killing of three U.S. troops in Jordan by a drone strike carried out by Iranian-backed militant groups has added kindling to an already a volatile situation in the Middle East. |
The attack has left the White House facing the difficult balancing act of responding to Iran in ways that will deter future attacks without triggering a wider conflict — something the Biden administration has been adamant about avoiding since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Sunday's attack in Jordan marked the first time U.S. service members have been killed in the Middle East since the war in Gaza began in October, adding a new layer of complexity for the White House. " We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves … and to respond appropriately to these attacks," national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday. President Biden has pledged to respond to the latest attacks in a "time and manner of our choosing." The president met Monday with members of his national security team, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who on Monday returned to the Pentagon for the first time since undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. Asked if Biden is considering a strike inside the country, Kirby would not say whether it was on the table. American troops have come under fire from Iranian-backed groups more than 160 times since late October. The White House has in recent weeks launched precision strikes targeting Iranian-backed militia targets and struck back against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen after the rebel group targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea. But the death of U.S. troops will increase the stakes for Biden, particularly among Republican defense hawks in Congress who are already calling for retaliation, including inside Iran. Read the full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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The Pentagon on Monday identified the three Army soldiers who were killed in a suicide drone attack in Jordan over the weekend. All three soldiers served in the Army Reserve, according to the Pentagon, and were assigned to Georgia’s Fort Moore. The soldiers are: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Ga.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga. … |
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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called for the United States to conduct targeted strikes to "take out" Iranian leaders responsible for attacks against U.S. service members in the Middle East. Haley in an interview Monday on Fox News outlined how she thinks President Biden should respond to the latest attack, which killed three U.S. troops, saying, "This is not about hitting Iran hard. This is about hitting Iran … |
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A bicameral coalition of nearly 20 Democrats urged the State Department on Monday to provide information on the Biden administration's decisions to sell arms to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas without explicit congressional approval. The letter, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), increases pressure on the Biden White House from Democrats concerned with the U.S. role in the Gaza conflict, … |
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US warns travelers of uptick in murders in the Bahamas |
The United States is warning travelers to exercise "increased caution" in the Bahamas, citing an uptick in homicides and other violent crime. |
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Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) came in fifth place in a straw poll of voters in the district where the controversial congresswoman recently relocated … Read more |
| Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has made supporting the war in Ukraine a signature policy priority, but his efforts have been complicated … Read more |
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