‘Dangerous moment’ in Middle East, Lloyd Austin says

NEWSROOM – The U.S. Secretary of Defense is holding a news conference at the Pentagon.

Lloyd Austin says the president “will not tolerate” attacks on U.S. troops, and neither will he.

“Our teammates were killed when a one-way drone struck their living quarters,” he says.

“We continue to gather the facts about this deadly attack.”

He goes on to say, “Our teammates were killed by radical militia backed by Iran and operating inside Syria and Iraq.”

Mr. Austin says, “This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East,” but the U.S. “will take all necessary action.”

He adds, “In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel, terrorist groups backed by Iran and funded by Iran have tried to create even more turmoil, including the Houthis.”

Earlier today, the U.S. outlet CBS News reported that the U.S. has decided on targeting Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps positions in both Iraq and Syria.