Biden Expected To Authorize Military Action In The Middle East As Early As Monday Night

President Biden is expected to order U.S. Military strikes against targets in the Middle East as soon as Monday evening, according to a report from Sky News.

The strikes will be launched in retaliation for an attack on a U.S. military outpost located on the border of Jordan and Syria, which was launched by militia groups with ties to Iran, according to the Pentagon. The attack — which was carried out with an Iranian-manufactured kamikaze drone — left three American soldiers dead and more than 30 wounded.

“Have no doubt: We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” Biden said in a statement shortly after the attack.

The strikes have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed Shiite militias. The network includes groups such as the Nujaba Movement, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada, Ashab al-Kahf and others.

Attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East have escalated in recent weeks, though they had resulted in mostly minor injuries since Sunday’s attack.

It is unclear what the military response from the U.S. will entail. A number of U.S. Senators have called for strikes on Iran itself, with Senator John Cornyn calling for direct strikes on downtown Tehran. This suggestion was met with overwhelmingly negative feedback due to the chance of starting another major war in the Middle East.

Target Tehran https://t.co/KLzQC9zRC0

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 28, 2024

Joseph Votel, a retired U.S. Army general who previously served as head of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Forces Command, told Newsweek that U.S. officials now are likely “analyzing and evaluating leadership, command and control and supply chain targets associated with the specific militia that orchestrated this attack.”

In addition to attacks on non-state actors, Votel said the Pentagon is likely “looking at direct Iranian targets like IRGC-QF [Islamic Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force] leaders, key facilitators as well as command and control and logistic nodes,” Votel said.

“The targeting analysis is probably also at least considering targets that are more directly related to Iran—like perhaps some of their maritime assets or possibly coastal targets,” he added.

Biden previously authorized air and missile strikes on Houthi militant targets in Yemen. The group — which controls nearly half of the country — has been launching attacks on commercial vessels headed for Israeli ports since the October 7 attacks.