The possibility of an Iranian attack is not ruled out.
“2 days is not the end, but the beginning, of responding to large-scale attacks”
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan did not rule out the possibility of an attack on Iran, saying retaliatory attacks following the death of three US soldiers in a pro-Iranian militia attack in Jordan will continue.
“From Iran’s perspective, if they decide to respond directly to the United States, they will receive a quick and strong response from us,” Sullivan said on ABC’s “This Week” on the 4th (local time).
He also claimed, “President Joe Biden has instructed military commanders to ‘deploy to respond to further attacks,’” and that “the possibility of retaliation from Houthi rebels or militias in Iraq and Syria cannot be ruled out.”
Sullivan appeared on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ and said, “What happened on Friday (the 2nd) is the beginning, not the end, of our response, and there will be more to come.”
Previously, on the night of the 27th of last month, three American soldiers were killed and more than 40 injured in a drone attack by a pro-Iranian militia targeting the US military base ‘Tower 22’ in Jordan.
Accordingly, on the 2nd, the United States launched an airstrike against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and related militias in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for the death of an American soldier in Jordan. The airstrikes were conducted against more than 85 targets in 7 regions.
Sullivan emphasized, “We plan to carry out additional attacks and take additional actions to send a clear message that if our troops are attacked or people are killed, the United States will respond.”
He continued, “What I want to say is that the President is determined to respond strongly to attacks on our people, but the President also does not want a bigger war to break out in the Middle East.”
When asked about civilian casualties from U.S. military attacks on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Sullivan responded, “I am confident that the targets we hit were valid military targets, and they were ammunition depots and command and control centers.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.