WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he has decided how to respond to a drone attack that killed US service members in Jordan, as he weighs punishing militias without triggering a wider war.
Biden, speaking to journalists as he left the White House on a campaign tour to Florida, did not elaborate on his decision, which came after consultations with key advisers at the White House.
He said the US did not need a wider war in the Middle East, echoing statement from other officials on Tuesday that the United States does not want a war with Iran.
The president has been weighing his options and the expectation has been that there will be retaliatory attacks, but the timing of the response has been unclear.
Biden said that the US did not need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what he is looking for, Biden added.
Attack in Jordan
Three US service members were killed and at least 34 injured in a drone strike by militants on US forces in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, officials said on Sunday.
