Militants associated with the drone strike that claimed the lives of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan have declared a temporary suspension of attacks on U.S. military installations in Iraq and Syria.
Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, the secretary-general of Kataib Hezbollah, announced that the militia’s fighters would adopt a “temporary passive defense” strategy while cautioning against any “hostile American action.”
President Joe Biden has acknowledged the attack and stated on Tuesday that he has decided on a military response, although no specific details were provided.
Global concerns are mounting as the conflict in Gaza, sparked by a deadly Hamas-led incursion into Israeli border communities, threatens to escalate into a broader regional confrontation, potentially pitting the U.S. against Iran.
Biden, while holding Tehran responsible for arming militant groups, emphasized that the U.S. is not seeking war with Iran.
However, Iran has denied involvement in the Jordan attack, asserting that Tehran was not privy to military decisions made by regional resistance groups. Hossein Salami, chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, issued a warning that any military action targeting Iran would not go unanswered.
“We hear threats coming from American officials, we tell them that they have already tested us, and we now know one another,” Salami stated, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “No threat will be left unanswered.”
Meanwhile, in other developments, the Chicago City Council was set to vote on a resolution calling for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages. This follows a City Hall sit-in by high schoolers opposed to U.S. funding of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In Sweden, authorities discovered and detonated a bomb near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm. Ambassador Ziv Nevo Kulman expressed gratitude for the swift response, emphasizing that they would not be intimidated by terror.
Additionally, the Israeli military reported a raid on and destruction of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad weapons plant in West Khan Younis, which was allegedly manufacturing rockets and missiles.