The confirmed deaths of three American soldiers in a drone attack on a military base on the border between Jordan and Syria will once and for all drag the United States into more direct involvement in the war in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden said the Armed Forces were still investigating the details of the attack, which also left around 30 people injured, but was already directly responsible for Iranian-funded and armed militias operating in Syria and Iraq.
This was the first time that American soldiers were killed in direct attacks on their bases in the Middle East since the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7.
Two other sailors went missing and were presumed dead earlier this year, but they were acting in an American offensive mission in an attempt to block the shipment of Iranian weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Until now, Washington has tried to act cautiously in interconnected conflicts in the region. After all, Biden had no interest in an escalation that would transform the conflict between Israel and Hamas into a regional war, especially in an election year.
This is why, for example, the American president unsuccessfully put pressure on Israel to adopt more precise military actions, with fewer Palestinian civilian deaths.
The United States has also adopted a relatively moderate tactic in retaliating against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who continue to attack cargo ships in the Red Sea, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
In response, the Americans chose to carry out a series of targeted attacks against the rebels, in an attempt to precisely destroy missile and drone launch points. Furthermore, they adopted economic sanctions, but avoided a larger and widespread military conflict against the group.
And even the reactions against hundreds of previous attacks on its bases in Syria and Iraq were met with very limited bombings of Iranian-allied militia positions.
Political calculation
Now, with the death of his soldiers, Biden's political calculation tends to be different.
He has already indicated that he will retaliate against the militias in the statement he released, confirming the deaths: “have no doubt: we will punish all those responsible. At the time and in the way we choose.”
Biden knows that this time he needs to attack with much greater force.
At the beginning of the election campaign, he is already being accused by his likely opponent in the November elections, former president Donald Trump, of “being weak” against Iran and having a relaxed policy in the region, which would have encouraged Hamas to carry out the atrocities of October last year.
Immediately after the deaths were confirmed, several conservative politicians began demanding strong action from the president.
Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has demanded that the country's military “directly” attack Iranian targets, their leaders and allies.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said that “the only response to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and throughout the Middle East.”
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Representative Mike Rogers, also called on Biden to hold Iran and its allies harshly accountable.
And several others began directly attacking the president. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, for example, said his administration's “deterrence policy has failed miserably” and called for strikes against targets inside Iran.
Trump himself will not miss the opportunity to harshly punish his opponent.
On the defensive and accused of being weak, Biden will almost inevitably have to order more intense and widespread bombings against militias and various targets linked to Iran.
And that was precisely what Tehran's allies, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and the various militias, want: to drag the United States once and for all into direct participation in the war, in an attempt to demonstrate strength, gain supporters and further destabilize more the region.
The conflict in the Middle East is already regional and will expand.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
