Names of slain soldiers released, US response likely to be powerful

The Pentagon announced the names of the three American service members who were killed in an aerial drone attack on its base in northeast Jordan on Sunday. Sgt William Jerome Rivers, 46, Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, were killed when a drone hit their housing unit.

The US has blamed Iranian-backed groups and the Pentagon reiterated the US does not want a war with Iran. “We don’t seek war, but we will take action, and respond to attacks on our forces,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

Meanwhile, pressure mounts on Biden to respond in a way that stops these attacks for good. Though the Pentagon and White House are being careful not to telegraph the administration’s plans, officials said that the US response to the attack is likely to be more powerful than previous retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said the deaths of US service members “certainly crossed the president’s red line,” and both officials and analysts are expecting a more robust response that is not necessarily confined to one country or one day. Officials, however, suggested that the US is unlikely to strike within Iran.

In recent months, the US has carried out several strikes targeting Iranian proxies’ weapons depots in Iraq and Syria. None of those strikes have deterred the militants and 120 US service members have been injured in 165 attacks across the region since October.