U.S. promises more retaliation against Iran-backed militias

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said that the United States military would respond if proxy forces continued to target U.S. troops in the Middle East. Iran-backed militias have attacked American forces more than 150 times and, last month, killed three soldiers at the Tower 22 base in Jordan near the Syrian border. That attack also wounded dozens of other service members. The United States retaliated for that attack over the weekend by striking targets affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

Does the United States plan to attack Iran? Sullivan said on Sunday that the military could attack Iran if it directly attacked the United States. He added that U.S. leaders did not desire a prolonged conflict in the region.

Will Iran’s proxy forces pause their attacks? After the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack on the Tower 22 base last month, one of its affiliate members, Kataib Hezbollah, said it was suspending its attacks against U.S. forces in the region. The United States and the United Kingdom have carried out a series of joint strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including some over this past weekend. But the Houthi rebels say they are undeterred and will continue attacking commercial shipping vessels in nearby waters.

Dig deeper: Read Marc LiVecche’s column for WORLD Opinions about how the U.S. should respond to Iran-backed aggression.