White House blames Islamic Resistance in Iraq for drone attack that killed 3 US troops

The White House on Wednesday said it believes the Islamic Resistance in Iraq was responsible for a deadly drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members.

“We believe the attack in Jordan was planned, resourced and facilitated by an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which contains multiple groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah,” John Kirby, a White House spokesperson for national security issues, told reporters.

Kirby said the attack “has the earmarks of the kinds of things Kata’ib Hezbollah does,” though he stopped short of assigning specific blame to that group.

Three American troops were killed and roughly 40 others were injured in a drone strike in Jordan near the Syrian border Sunday.

President Biden said Tuesday he has decided how he plans to respond, but he did not provide specifics and said he was not seeking a “wider war in the Middle East.”

“That’s not what I’m looking for,” Biden told reporters.

Kirby has said the White House could pursue a “tiered” response, in which the U.S. responds with multiple actions over a period of time.