Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says it's time to further disable Iran-backed militias that have struck U.S. forces and ships in the Middle East. For days, the U.S. has insinuated retaliation is in the pipeline as it prepares to take significant action in response to the deaths of three U.S. service members in Jordan.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 31: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill October 31, 2023 in Washington, DC. Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken both testified at the hearing on budget requests, which includes aid money for Israel and Ukraine.
The threat of retaliation for the deaths has pushed several militant groups to say they were stopping hostilities. As recent as Thursday, Yemen's Houthi rebels were still attacking vessels and fired a ballistic missile at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea.
"At this point, it's time to take away even more capability than we've taken in the past," Austin said Thursday in a press conference.
However, U.S. strikes have not discouraged the attacks. According to The Associated Press, since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, Iranian-backed militant groups have struck U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria at least 166 times with rockets, missiles, and one-way attack drones, engaging roughly half a dozen U.S. counterstrikes on militant facilities in both countries. The U.S. military has also carried out airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The U.S. credits the attack on Tower 22 in Jordan to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of alleged Iran-backed militias such as the militant group Kataib Hezbollah.
What Has Iran Said?
Iran consistently denies any involvement in the incident. Austin noted, "how much Iran knew or didn't know, we don't know. But it really doesn't matter because Iran sponsors these groups."
He said, "Without that facilitation, these kinds of things don't happen." The Pentagon is still looking at the forensics of the drone that struck Tower 22, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that's been crucial to the American presence in neighboring Syria.
"I don't think the adversaries are of a 'one and done' mindset. And so they have a lot of capability. I have a lot more," Austin said. "We're going to do what's necessary to protect our troops."
The Guardian quoted Austin from the press conference as saying that all drones in the region attacking the U.S. were of Iranian origin. The attacks are expected to hit militia in Syria and possibly Iraq, though Austin did not specify the timing or precise location.
"We will have a multi-tier response and we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on the situation," he continued. "We look to hold the people responsible for this accountable and we also seek to take away capability as we go forward."
Iran has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to instigate any strike on Iranian territory, adding that if the U.S. chooses to ignore the warning, its response will be swift and dramatic.
