CNN host Dana Bash grilled deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh Monday, asking if America’s efforts at deterrence “failed” after a fatal drone strike on an American military base.
A drone attack on an U.S. military base in Jordan killed three troops and wounded at least 34 Sunday. At least 70 American servicemembers have been wounded in attacks launched by Iranian-backed militias on U.S. bases across the Middle East since Oct. 17. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Calls On US To Blow Up Iran’s Oil Refineries If Hostages Are Harmed)
Bash asked Singh if the fatal attack would lead to a different response from President Joe Biden.
“This is, by far, the most direct and deadly when it comes to what happens in the Middle East to U.S. troops since October 7,” Bash told Singh. “Looking at this and more broadly, have U.S. deterrence policies failed? How will the president’s response be different this time?”
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“What we saw last night, what we saw yesterday, was lethal action that impacted our service members and that is something that weighs heavily on this building, that weighs heavily on the secretary,” Singh responded. “Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with the service members and families, but when you look at the wider region, when you look at what’s happening in the region, we know that the tensions are high, but the conflict that is happening between Israel and Gaza has been contained to Gaza, and we have seen multiple attacks on our service members in Iraq and Syria that have been largely unsuccessful. Minor injuries, minor damage to infrastructure. Unfortunately, yesterday, we saw lethal action.”
Iranian-backed militias have carried out over 150 attacks on American military forces since Hamas launched a deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages, Reuters reported, including the use of ballistic missiles and drones.
President Joe Biden vowed to respond to the attacks in a Sunday statement.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby deflected a question from Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese on why the Houthi rebels were not being deterred from attacking shipping in the Red Sea during a Jan. 19 press briefing.
“Well, you have to ask the Houthis what’s in their mindset. I’m not gonna get in between the ears of Houthi leaders,” Kirby said.
American and British aircraft carried out air strikes against multiple targets in Yemen in January after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched over two dozen attacks on merchant ships. Since then, American forces have launched at least six strikes against the Houthis.
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