Pentagon: US retaliation coming despite Kataib Hezbollah vow to suspend attacks

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Tuesday signaled that the military is moving ahead with a decision by President Joe Biden to retaliate for Sunday’s lethal drone attack launched by an Iran-backed militia that killed three American troops in Jordan. 

“We have called on the Iranian proxy groups to stop their attacks. They have not, and so we will respond in a time and manner of our choosing,” Press Secretary US Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said.

Biden on Tuesday told reporters at the White House that he had already decided how to respond to the attacks, but avoided offering any specifics. “I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for,” Biden said.

“I’m not going to get into telegraphing or discussing potential future operations,” Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon later that afternoon.