The Biden administration confronted renewed stress Tuesday to hit again tougher in opposition to Iran-backed militias within the Middle East after a Christmas Day drone assault in Iraq left three American troops injured, with certainly one of them in vital situation.

The drone assault by the Shiite group Kataib Hezbollah — which has direct hyperlinks to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — led to a spherical of retaliatory airstrikes by U.S. forces in opposition to militia targets in Iraq. It’s the newest in a collection of direct clashes between the 2 sides. Pentagon officers pressured they’ll do no matter is important to guard U.S. forces, and so they mentioned Monday’s late-night strikes ought to ship a transparent message.

“These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base [in Iraq] earlier today,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mentioned in a press release Monday evening.

The Pentagon chief mentioned the strikes have been “intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible” for the assault.

“Let me be clear — the president and I will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops and our interests. There is no higher priority,” Mr. Austin mentioned.

He mentioned the U.S. does “not seek to escalate conflict in the region” however is “fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities.”

Critics say the administration should go additional. In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday, Rep. Rob Wittman, Virginia Republican, questioned why the administration is so reluctant to strike when it seems clear the U.S. is aware of precisely the place the militias’ weapon depots are.

“There have been over 90 attacks by Iranian-backed militia in Iraq. That is absolutely unacceptable. What the United States policy should be, and the Biden administration has not done, is to be preemptive. That is to take out capabilities that we know are being used against U.S. interests in the region,” Mr. Wittman mentioned.

“Retaliatory strikes are a reaction. We need to be proactive. We need to go after where we know these attacks are coming from. We know what these efforts are,” he mentioned. “We’ve seen it over the past several months. Why we wait for them to now critically wound an American soldier in the region before we respond is unacceptable.”

Mr. Biden was briefed shortly after the preliminary Christmas morning assault in Iraq, White House officers mentioned. Within just some hours, he was introduced with choices to strike again in opposition to Kataib Hezbollah.

The president “directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities,” White National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson mentioned in a press release.

“The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue,” she mentioned.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees America’s navy presence within the area, mentioned early indications present the U.S. strikes “destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”

Before Monday’s assault in Iraq, assaults by Iran-backed militias wounded not less than 21 U.S. service members and led to 1 American contractor dying from a cardiac incident whereas sheltering in place.

Tensions between the 2 nations are close to their highest level since early 2020, when a U.S. airstrike killed high Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Iranian officers on Tuesday additionally lobbed new threats towards Israel. Those warnings got here a day after Iranian state media reported that an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed Iranian Brig. Gen. Seyed Razi Mousavi, a senior navy advisor of the IRGC. The alleged airstrike comes amid Israel’s conflict in opposition to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which can be backed by Tehran.

Iranian officers vowed revenge.

“The Israeli regime should wait for the retribution of its recent terrorist attack. Waiting for the time to pay the price will torture Zionists and their elements to death,” Brig. Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik, an Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman, informed reporters in Tehran, in response to state-run media there.

The rising stress between Iran and the U.S., and its key ally Israel, have added gasoline to the violent Middle East.

U.S. forces over the weekend shot down not less than 4 assault drones launched by Houthi rebels working in Yemen. The Houthis are additionally backed by Iran. The drones have been headed towards an American warship working within the Red Sea.

Also within the Red Sea, which lies between Africa and Asia, a Houthi drone hit a business oil tanker. The a number of incidents increase questions in regards to the capability of the U.S. and its companions to cease the Houthi assaults.

Last week, Pentagon officers touted the creation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a maritime freeway patrol with the mission of protecting the peace within the area.

More than 20 nations have signed on to the mission, Defense Department officers mentioned, although it’s unclear how profitable the hassle can be.

“This is an international problem that requires an international response. We will continue to work with this coalition of the willing, and all countries will be able to contribute what they feel that they can,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, informed reporters final week.

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