VIDEO. Risk of escalation in the Middle East after the deaths of three American soldiers in Jordan

Called to act, but to what extent? This question plagues the United States, which, although it repeats that it wants “neither escalation nor war in the Middle East,” after the death of the US president finds itself embroiled in a distant conflict with Iran – under fire from armed groups close to Tehran. three of its soldiers carried out a drone attack on the Jordanian-Syrian border this Sunday. Pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden, who has promised a “substantial” response.

“This is what many of us, I think, feared, what perhaps the administration feared, what US allies, whether Arab or otherwise, feared: that Iran would miscalculate and make a similar mistake and force the United States to retaliate. measures. at a much higher level,” says George Washington University professor Gordon Gray. These are the first American soldiers killed in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7. This Sunday’s attack also follows attacks carried out by Iranian-backed groups using drones or missiles against US targets in Iraq and Syria.

Most of the attacks have also been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a nebula of pro-Iranian militant groups that say they are supporting the Palestinians and demanding the withdrawal of American soldiers stationed in Iraq.

For their part, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, also close to Iran, are stepping up attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, putting pressure on the United States to retaliate. So far, the carefully calibrated American response has been to launch strikes aimed at weakening the groups’ ability to launch rockets, missiles or drones. But this did not give the desired deterrent effect. In the wake of the Jordan attack, “Washington’s challenge is to ensure that the response is significant enough to prevent further attacks on American forces without triggering a new war in the region,” summarizes Alex Plitsas of the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Jordan. American capital.

U.S. officials have repeatedly said they do not want escalation and remain hopeful that they can contain a conflict that threatens to spread. For its part, Tehran denies any involvement in Sunday’s attack and warns of a regional escalation.