Biden Is 'Scared of His Own Shadow,' Nikki Haley Says After Jordan Attack

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said on CNBC's Squawk Box on Monday morning that President Joe Biden is "scared of his own shadow" amid the death of three United States military personnel as a result of a drone strike in Jordan.

"Military families want to know their loved ones are protected. Biden didn't protect them and there have been 160 strikes, there shouldn't have been one, there shouldn't have been two. We lost three heroes because Biden was scared of his own shadow," Haley said.

Newsweek has reached out to Haley via email for comment.

Context

In addition to the three U.S. military personnel that were killed, dozens more were injured in the drone strike in Jordan, a close Middle Eastern ally to the U.S., on Saturday.

The deaths mark the first U.S. troops killed in the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

On Sunday, Biden announced the attack against the U.S. troops stationed near the Syrian border in northeastern Jordan and blamed Iran-backed militant groups for the strike. Officials said the attack had been launched from Syria.

"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," the president said in a statement released by the White House. "We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt—we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing."

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said U.S. accusations of Iran's involvement were "baseless" and that it was "not involved in the decision-making of Resistance groups," referring to allied groups known as the "Axis of Resistance."

Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza, home to more than 2 million Palestinians. Israeli officials have said that about 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 250 hostages were taken in Hamas' attack, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed, officials from the health ministry in Gaza said.

What We Know

When reached by Newsweek for comment on Sunday afternoon, the Department of Defense (DOD) confirmed the deaths and injuries and said via email, "As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified."

It's unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone.

Earlier this month, Biden ordered multiple airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen to stop the attacks on shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis are an Iran-backed Shia political and military organization who have declared their support for Hamas. The militant group carried out a series of strikes on shipping vessels in an effort to attack ships coming in and out of Israel.

Views

Saturday's attack follows increased concerns over Israel's continued war in Gaza against Iran-backed Hamas militants, along with the attacks in Yemen on shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea.

Michael Butler, associate professor of political science at Clark University in Massachusetts, previously told Newsweek: "The attack on Tower 22 is undoubtedly a game changer for the Biden Administration's policy of deterrence. While the U.S. has been trying to thread the needle between degrading the capacity of Iranian proxies without directly engaging Iran itself, it is hard to envision that policy remaining viable now. I'd expect a serious escalation is around the corner."

Daniel R. DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities, wrote in a Thursday opinion column for Newsweek that he believes the conflicts in Gaza and Yemen are related.

"Yet in the grand scheme, it's irrelevant whether Washington and London accept the premise or not. Opinions don't matter. The only thing that really matters is reality. And the reality is that the Houthis have had a longstanding position since October that the attacks in the Red Sea will continue as long as the war in Gaza persists," he wrote.

What's Next?

Biden said Sunday that the U.S. "shall respond," although it's unclear what actions will be taken.

Meanwhile in Monday's CNBC interview, Haley urged that she would have gone after the resources, including the production of missiles, in order to protect U.S. troops, a step she believes Biden should have done.

"What they should be doing is going after every ounce of production of those missiles, wherever those missiles are, you take that out. It means striking the resources that are allowing them to hurt our troops, that's what you are doing. You go after the leaders making the decisions," she said.

Update: 1/29/24, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.