Pentagon: Suspension of Hezbollah Brigades Operations Does Not Affect US Retaliatory Actions

General Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesperson, stated in a press conference on Tuesday, January 30, that Iranian proxy groups had been warned to cease their attacks, but they ignored the warnings, and therefore, the US will respond. This statement was made in reaction to news of the suspension of Hezbollah Brigades operations against the US. Following reports of the US retaliatory response to a deadly attack on American forces in Jordan, the Hezbollah Brigades, an Iraqi armed group aligned with the Islamic Republic, announced in a statement that it has suspended all military operations against American forces in the region. The group claimed this decision was made to 'prevent upsetting the Iraqi government.' Ryder also mentioned that since the attack on the US base in Jordan until January 30, three other attacks against US interests had occurred. The Pentagon spokesperson noted that 'traces of Hezbollah Brigades' were found in the drone attack on the 'Tower 22' base in Jordan, but investigations to accurately identify the responsible group are ongoing. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, also emphasized in his Tuesday press conference that the Biden administration will hold the group responsible for the drone attack on the 'Tower 22' base in Jordan accountable for their actions. However, he refrained from announcing the timing and manner of the US response. The US President also stated on Tuesday morning in response to reporters at the White House that he has made a decision regarding how to respond to the deaths of three members of the US military in the drone attack in Jordan. Biden administration officials considered this attack a factor in increasing tensions, and Miller emphasized that the US will act to defend its personnel and interests. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a 'multi-layered, multi-phase, and ongoing' US response to this attack. The killing of military personnel is a red line for the US government at any time and by any group. While the US President has announced retaliation for this attack, the State Department spokesperson stated that the Biden administration expects the Iraqi government to investigate this attack and detain and prosecute those responsible. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former Secretary-General of the Hezbollah Brigades, was killed in January 2020 alongside Qassem Soleimani, the then-commander of the Quds Force, in a drone strike by the Trump administration near Baghdad International Airport.