(NewsNation) — U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he has decided how to respond to a Sunday drone attack in Jordan that killed 3 U.S. service members but did not give specific details on his plans.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later said the U.S. could have a tiered response, meaning it would involve multiple, rather than a single, action, Reuters wrote.
Biden, speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a campaign trip to Florida, reiterated that he holds Iran responsible for the service members’ deaths.
“I do hold them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it,” Biden told reporters, adding that he doesn’t think “we need a wider war in the Middle East.”
“That’s not what I’m looking for,” he said.
The deaths of Army Reserve soldiers Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia, were the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes against American troops in the Middle East.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will be calling the family members of the soldiers and plans to attend the dignified transfer of fallen service members’ remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday. Biden spoke to the families Tuesday and gauged their feelings about his attendance at the dignified transfer.
Kirby said, “All of them supported Biden’s presence there.”
“He was grateful for their time. He expressed to them how proud we all are of their service,” Kirby said of the president’s calls with the families. “How we mourn and feel sorrow over their loss.”
A solemn ceremony, the dignified transfer marks the return of fallen service members to American soil as they journey to their final resting place. Silent honor guards carrying flag-draped transfer cases hold the remains from transport aircraft to military vehicles.
Biden has previously said the unmanned aerial drone attack, which injured over 40 and impacted a U.S. base near the Syrian border, was carried out by “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.” U.S. Central Command initially had the number of injured as 25 on Sunday.
“We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests,” Austin said shortly after the assault.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said it’s unlikely the number of deaths reported from the attack will rise, but injury reports are expected to grow as soldiers continue to report symptoms. Current injuries range from lacerations to possible concussions, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday.
Singh confirmed the Pentagon will respond to what happened in Jordan “at a time and place of our choosing,” but like Biden, did not elaborate.
“I’m not going to forecast when that is,” Singh said.
CENTCOM is continuing to assess the point of origin of the strike as well as the specific proxy group responsible for the attack, according to Ryder.
Reuters, the Associated Press and NewsNation digital producers Devan Markham and Urja Sinha contributed to this story.
