WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden was in Las Vegas on Monday, where he vowed further retaliatory strikes in response to the deadly drone attack in Jordan, where three American soldiers were killed.
Over the weekend, the United States and the United Kingdom launched rockets by warships and fighter jets, hitting Iran backed Houthi targets across Yemen.
An air assault Friday in Iraq and Syria targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend. The U.S. fired again at Houthi targets on Sunday.
The U.S. attack on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria hit more than 85 targets at seven locations. These included command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities that were connected to the militias or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, the expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with, and arming of, regional militias.
“We do not seek conflict in the middle east but attacks on American forces will not be tolerated,” said Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Department of Defense.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, legislation on a new security package is being decided.
“I am proud Leader McConnell and I who disagree on many issues have never worked so closely together on legislation,” said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D) Majority Leader.
The Senate has released a highly anticipated $118 billion bill, which includes $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel and $10 billion for humanitarian assistance.
It also locks down $20 billion for border security to tackle immigration concerns and the influx of migrants.
But Republicans are pushing back. Florida Senator Marco Rubio wrote:” The ‘border deal’ is an easy NO. It reads like a parody of an actual border security bill.”
The U.S. has blamed the attack at the Tower 22 base in Jordan on Jan. 28 on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias. Iran has tried to distance itself from the drone strike, saying the militias act independently of its direction.