An Iraqi militant group backed by Iran suspected of being behind a drone strike that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan has announced a "suspension" of operations against U.S. forces as Washington said it had decided how to respond to the attack but did not elaborate.
The Kataib Hizballah militia said the pause was meant to prevent "embarrassing" the Iraqi government and hinted that the drone attack had been linked to U.S. support of Israel in the war in Gaza.
"As we announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces -- in order to prevent embarrassment of the Iraqi government -- we will continue to defend our people in Gaza in other ways," Kataib Hizballah Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said in a statement late on January 30.
Three U.S. soldiers were killed by a drone strike in Jordan on January 28 that the Pentagon said carried the "footprints" of the Tehran-sponsored Kataib Hizballah militia, although Washington has not yet conclusively determined that the group was behind the attack.
The group's statement was met with skepticism by the Pentagon, with spokesman Pat Ryder saying, "Actions speak louder than words," before adding, "There will be consequences."
When asked by reporters in Florida on January 30 if he had decided on how to respond to the attack, President Joe Biden said "yes," without elaborating on the planned U.S. move.
"I don't think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That's not what I'm looking for," he added.
SEE ALSO: Biden Weighing Options Amid Mounting Pressure To Hit IranThe attacks are certain to intensify political pressure in the United States on Biden -- who is in an election year -- to retaliate against Iranian interests in the region, possibly in Iraq or Syria, analysts say.
Many observers have expressed fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East after war broke out in Gaza following the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by Washington and the European Union.
At least 1,200 people were killed in those assaults, leading to Israel's retaliatory actions that, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians.
U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have reportedly come under attack more than 165 times since October 7. Most of the attacks have been claimed by the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq -- an umbrella alliance of hard-line Shi'ite militias backed by Tehran.
Experts say Kataib Hizballah is one of the most powerful groups in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
Details of the attack in Jordan remain unclear, but a U.S. official said the enemy drone may have been confused with a U.S.-launched drone returning to the military site near the Syrian border and was therefore not shot down.
The official, who requested anonymity, said preliminary reports indicated the enemy drone was flying at a low level at the same time a U.S. drone was returning to the base, known as Tower 22.
Amid reports that the drone used in the attack was made in Iran, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran denied it had any link with the incident, calling the accusations "baseless."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said that "resistance groups" in the region did not take orders from Tehran, though Western countries accuse Iran of helping arm, train, and fund such groups.