An American Official to ABC News: The U.S. Response Will Involve Attacks on 'Multiple Targets'

An anonymous American official told ABC News that the United States' response to the drone attack that resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers in Jordan last weekend will begin 'in the coming days' with strikes on 'multiple targets.' According to ABC News, the official stated, 'These will be very precise and planned attacks on the facilities and individuals who facilitated these attacks against American forces.' While American officials do not specify whether these targets will be inside or outside of Iran, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday morning as he left the White House that he has made a decision on how to respond to the attacks by Iran-backed militants. Simultaneously, when asked whether Iran is responsible, Biden stated that Tehran is arming these proxy groups and added, 'I hold those responsible who supply weapons to those who carry out these actions.' The U.S. President also told reporters that the U.S. 'is not seeking a broader war in the Middle East.' As the military continues its investigation into how an enemy drone was able to reach a remote U.S. military base in Jordan, more details are still forthcoming. Three American officials, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive battlefield details, stated that the enemy's suicide drone approached the base almost simultaneously with an American reconnaissance drone, and this timing caused confusion and hindered the U.S. air defense response. Reuters reported that after the deaths of three American soldiers in northeastern Jordan, Iran-backed militant groups have attacked U.S. interests in the Middle East over 150 times since October 7, following Hamas's attack on Israel, with at least eight attacks resulting in injuries to American forces. Hours earlier, John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, announced that the deadly Sunday attack on a U.S. base in Jordan bore the characteristics of groups supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iraq. Kirby stated, 'Although efforts to find those responsible for the attack that killed three American servicemen at a base in Jordan are still ongoing, this attack clearly has the characteristics of groups supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kata'ib Hezbollah.'