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Iran-Backed Militia's "Suspension" Won't Change U.S. Plans for Reprisal, Pentagon Says
(Wall Street Journal) David S. Cloud - President Biden said Tuesday that he had decided on the U.S. response to an Iraqi militia drone strike that killed three American soldiers, emphasizing that the U.S. held Iran responsible but didn't seek war with Tehran. "They're supplying the weapons to the people who did it," Biden said. Maj.-Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Iraqi militia's announcement wouldn't affect planning to retaliate for Sunday's drone strike against a small U.S. outpost in Jordan. Iraqi militia groups with close ties to Iran have attempted more than 165 rocket, missile and drone attacks in Iraq and Syria since mid-October. This was the first attack that resulted in U.S. deaths. For decades, Iran has provided the financial and military backbone of a network of loyal militias across the Middle East that broaden its military footprint and push back against American and Israeli influence. Since Oct. 7, Iran's network of armed groups has stepped up attacks on Israeli or U.S. interests.