© Reuters. U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a bilateral assembly with NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg on the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed on Monday that the USA would take “all crucial actions” to defend its troops after a drone assault by Iran-backed militants that killed three U.S. troops and wounded dozens extra.
The assault on Sunday was the primary lethal strike in opposition to U.S. forces because the Israel-Hamas struggle erupted in October, and marks a significant escalation in tensions which have engulfed the Center East.
“Let me begin with my outrage and sorrow (for) the deaths of three courageous U.S. troops in Jordan and for the opposite troops who have been wounded,” Austin mentioned on the Pentagon.
“The president and I cannot tolerate assaults on U.S. forces and we are going to take all crucial actions to defend the U.S. and our troops,” Austin added initially of assembly with NATO Secretary Basic Jens Stoltenberg.
U.S. troops have been attacked over 150 instances in Iraq, Syria, Jordan in addition to on warships within the Pink Sea, the place Houthi fighters in Yemen have been firing drones and missiles at them.
The assaults are piling political stress on President Joe Biden to deal a blow instantly in opposition to Iran, a transfer he is been reluctant to do out of worry of igniting a broader struggle.
Biden’s response choices may vary wherever from concentrating on Iranian forces outdoors to even inside Iran, or choosing a extra cautious retaliatory assault solely in opposition to the Iran-backed militants accountable, specialists say.
“Iran continues to destabilize the area, this contains backing terrorists who assault our ships within the Pink Sea,” Stoltenberg mentioned.