Politico: The U.S. may strike the Iranian military in retaliation for the attack on its base

U.S. President Joe Biden has given an order to respond to the attack on the U.S. forces near the border between Syria and Jordan.

As Politico reports, citing its sources, among the possible options, striking the Iranian personnel in Syria or Iraq is being discussed. 

It is noted that the U.S. president has ordered his advisers to present U.S. response options that would effectively deter further attacks, while at the same time, not exacerbating the situation in the Middle East. 

According to Politico’s sources, in retaliation, the Pentagon is considering striking the Iranian military in Syria or Iraq, as well as the Iranian naval assets in the Persian Gulf. 

As noted, once the U.S. president gives the go-ahead, the retaliatory actions will likely begin in the coming days, and the strikes will “come in waves” against a number of targets.

Politico’s sources have said Biden is unlikely to talk about retaliation until a final decision on that is made. At the same time, the newspaper admits that “that matter in which that response is made risks further inflaming the Middle East”.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the U.S. response to the attacks on its troops and interests in the region could be multiphase, multi-layered and slow.

Three U.S. servicemen were killed and 40 were injured on Jan. 27 in a drone attack on the Al-Tanf military base of the Western coalition near the border between Syria and Jordan. Since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq have become frequent. Shia forces have said they will expand the scope of military operations in Syria and Iraq, as the U.S. continues to provide military aid to the Israeli army.