He said: “We do not want a broader war with Iran.” “We do not want a wider war in the region, but we have to do what we have to do.” The United States has not yet confirmed that the Islamic Resistance carried out the attack, and Kirby said on Monday that Washington was still working from intelligence information. But he said the attack “clearly bore all the hallmarks” of a group or groups supported by Kataib Hezbollah.
Israeli military operations in Gaza and their massive civilian toll — more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health — have reverberated throughout the conflict-torn region, challenging Washington's attempts to contain the violence.
The American deaths on Sunday in Jordan were the first of more than 170 attacks on American military bases in the region, especially Syria and Iraq, since the Hamas attack on October 7, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The United States carried out dozens of retaliatory attacks, including an attack in Baghdad that killed a senior leader of the Nujaba movement. But with American blood now spilled, the deterrence message is expected to become stronger, raising the risk of further escalation in a region where conflict is already well underway in several places.
Highlighting the complexity of the multi-front conflict, more cross-border strikes were reported in the region on Monday morning: Iraqi militias claimed to have targeted Israel, while Iran and Syria accused Israel of striking Damascus. The United States has already been drawn into military intervention, repeatedly bombing the Iran-linked Houthis in Yemen in response to their closing of international shipping routes in what they say is retaliation against Israel.
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, a think tank in London, said the killing of American soldiers adds “further concern that a regional war already exists.” She said that the chances of containment all depend on “who, what, when, and how the Biden administration will respond,” adding that she expects to be followed by “surgical” US strikes against Iran-linked assets outside Iran.
For its part, Iran tried to distance itself from the attack.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, “The resistance groups in the region do not receive orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran in their decisions and actions.” He described the accusations against Tehran as “unfounded.”
Al-Kanaani said that Iran had worked to calm regional tensions “through diplomatic means,” but accused the United States of “exacerbating insecurity” by maintaining a military presence in Iraq and Syria and launching strikes on Yemen.
The United States has deployed a few thousand troops in Iraq and Syria for nearly 10 years with the declared mission of preventing the return of ISIS.
Vakil said actions through proxies give Iran a cloak of plausible deniability.
“It is certain that Iran is trying to take advantage of the war in Gaza to highlight its transnational axis,” Vakil said, adding that “at the same time, Iran itself does not want to bear the cost of sponsoring the axis.” She added that Tehran is counting on the fact that the Biden administration does not want to see the war spread, but it is a “very dangerous gamble.”
Fears of escalation have mounted within the Biden administration in recent weeks and have led to renewed diplomatic efforts to bring Israel and Hamas back to the negotiating table, according to officials familiar with the talks.
US officials began increasing pressure on Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement after a surge in attacks in the Red Sea led to a US-led bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels, the officials said. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.
The proposal being considered by Hamas and Israel calls for a long-term cessation of fighting and a phased release of hostages, which US officials hope will develop into a permanent ceasefire. The Biden administration is keen to calm regional hostilities and refocus on its ambitious diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Houthi rebels said the Red Sea attacks would stop once the war in Gaza ended.
It remains unclear whether there is likely to be a direct negative reaction to Tehran, with pressure growing on Washington to act more forcefully. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also claims that Israel faces an existential threat from the Iranian nuclear program and its proxies.
Earlier this month, Iran accused Israel of carrying out a raid on the Syrian capital, Damascus, which it said resulted in the killing of five Iranian military advisors. Israel did not confirm or deny the attack, but Netanyahu said that Israel “acts against Iran all the time and everywhere.”
It is just one of many areas of conflict. While Hezbollah so far appears to show little desire to escalate the war with Israel and diplomats are seeking to avoid an all-out war on that front, the two sides regularly exchange fire across the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Iraqi militias showed little sign that they were planning to retreat on Monday, as the Islamic Resistance announced a drone attack inside Israel. The movement said in a statement that a dawn raid targeted a “Zionist military base” in response to the “massacres” committed against Palestinians in Gaza, without providing further details. The Israeli army refused to comment on whether there were any raids or violations of its airspace.
Syrian official media later said that Israel launched an air attack from the direction of the Golan Heights, “targeting a number of points south of Damascus.” She added that there was material damage and a number of deaths and injuries among citizens, without providing any details.
The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani called on Monday for “an end to the cycle of violence.” A statement said, “Iraq expresses its readiness to work to establish basic rules to avoid further repercussions in the region and prevent the expansion of the conflict.” He added, “The impact of these developments threatens regional and international peace and security, undermines efforts to combat terrorism and drugs, and puts trade, the economy, and energy supplies at risk.”
Iraq and the United States also held the first round of talks on Saturday regarding the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
But the Institute for the Study of War said, “The Iranian resistance axis shows its willingness to continue its campaign and even escalate it, despite the announcement by the United States and the Iraqi federal government that they will negotiate the status of American forces in Iraq.” in a research note on Sunday.
The Washington Post reported that about 350 soldiers were stationed at the base that was targeted on Sunday. A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the incident, said the drone struck living quarters at the base and caused injuries ranging from cuts, bruises and brain injuries.
US Central Command said in a statement that eight individuals had been evacuated from Jordan “to receive the highest level of care, but they are in stable condition.” The identities of the dead have not been revealed pending notification of their families.
Mustafa Salim in Baghdad, Sarah Daadoush in Beirut, Neha Masih in Seoul, and Dan Lamothe, Missy Ryan, Alex Horton and Adam Taylor in Washington contributed to this report.
