NEW YORK – The White House and State Department on Wednesday cautiously acknowledged the Iranian proxy group that claimed it will end its attacks on US forces.
On Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah, a group believed to be responsible for the weekend’s drone attack in Jordan which killed three US service members, said it was stopping all attacks on US forces due to pressure from Tehran, Reuters reported.
At the White House on Wednesday, National Security spokesman John Kirby said the attack in Jordan was “planned, resourced, and facilitated” by an umbrella group in Iraq called Islamic Resistance, a coalition of Iran-backed forces including Kataib Hezbollah.
“You can’t take what a group like Kataib Hezbollah says at face value, they’re not the only group that’s attacking us. They’re not the sole proprietors of the violence,” Kirby said.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said these groups will be judged by what they do, not what they say.
“We have made clear for some time that those attacks need to stop. They did not stop, and so as you heard the President say we will be holding organizations accountable,” Miller said. “This is not to preview any specific actions that we will take, but that we will be taking steps to hold accountable those who are responsible for the deaths of US soldiers.”
US admin still not sharing specifics of response
The administration is still not sharing details on the timeline of the US’ response.
Kirby reiterated the administration’s stance that the US’ retaliation will not hinder hostage negotiations.
“There should be no reason why what we’re trying to do in terms of getting the hostages out, and what we have to do to respond appropriately to this latest attack in Jordan, for one to affect each other,” Kirby said.
“This is hard, diplomatic work going in to try to get those hostages out, it’s hard. But that doesn’t mean you put the brakes on that because you feel you have to respond, which we do,” Kirby said. “And it doesn’t mean you don’t respond to the attacks in Jordan, because this diplomatic work is still going to remain difficult ahead of us. We can and we will do both.”
According to the White House, both US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will attend the dignified transfer of the three fallen US service members on Friday at Dover Air Force Base.
