U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan responses concerns throughout the day-to-day instruction at the White House on November 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.
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National security advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday stated that the United States will perform additional military action versus Iran- backed groups, increasing stress in the Middle East regardless of Sullivan firmly insisting that the U.S. is not looking for a larger dispute in the area.
“The president has been very clear from the beginning, which is that when American forces are attacked, we will respond, and we’ve responded several times over the course of the past few months,” Sullivan stated throughout an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” including that the current strikes from the U.S. were “not the end” of the president’s continuous military reaction. “We intend to take additional strikes and additional action to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked or our people are killed.”
Whether or not the U.S. will perform strikes inside Iran stays uncertain.
“I’m not going to get into what we’ve ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action,” Sullivan stated in reaction to mediator Kristen Welker’s concern about whether the U.S. has actually dismissed strikes inside Iran.
“What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. The president also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East,” he included.
On Friday, the U.S. performed vindictive strikes in Iraq and Syria versus more than 85 targets connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Iran- backed militants it backs. The strikes remained in reaction to aJan 28 drone strike on an American base in northeastern Jordan that eliminated 3 U.S. soldiers and hurt lots of others. The base, referred to as Tower 22, lies near the demilitarized zone on the border in between Jordan and Syria, and is likewise near the Iraqi border.
A day after those strikes, the U.S. and Britain led attacks versus 36 Houthi targets in Yemen, in a 2nd effort to additional destabilize Iran- backed groups. The Houthis, which have close ties to Iran, have actually been shooting at business ships and warships in the Red Sea, stating their actions remain in uniformity with Palestinians amidst the Israel-Hamas war. These are “distinct but related challenges,” Sullivan stated about the dispersing dispute in the area, which he preserved the Biden administration is attempting to avoid.
Iran has actually rejected participation in the Jordan drone strike, highlighting that militants are acting individually. Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned the over night U.S. attacks in Iraq and Syria.
When asked how anxious he is that Iranian- backed forces might once again strike back versus U.S. forces, Sullivan reacted: “That’s always a risk…if we see more attacks, you’ll see more responses.”
Sullivan likewise appeared on ABC’s “This Week,” CBS’ “Face the Nation,” and CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday early morning.
