Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley warned on Tuesday that attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East by Iranian-backed groups will only "get worse."
"You're just gonna see Iran escalate, it's only gonna get worse from here," Haley said on Fox News' Fox & Friends. "We expect America to protect them and Joe Biden did not protect those soldiers."
Haley's comments come amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel and more than 150 attacks on U.S. troops across the region.
Three U.S. troops, identified as Sergeant William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia; and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia, were killed Sunday in a drone attack in Jordan. Biden and the U.S. Department of Defense have confirmed that the attack was from an Iran-backed militia group, although Iran denied involvement.
"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," President Joe Biden said Monday. "We will strive to be worthy of their honor and valor. 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 our choosing."
During her appearance on Fox & Friends, Haley laid out a plan for how she would respond to Iran if she were president.
"We don't need to go and hit Iran hard, we need to hit them smart," she said. "Take out a couple of the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] members making these decisions. Iran doesn't care whether they lose fighters, they'll get more. They don't care if they lose missiles, they'll get more. What they do care about is if they lose their money and if they lose their leadership. That's what we need to be focused on."
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense via email for comment.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby spoke about the attacks on CNN's This Morning.
"I certainly can't deny the fact that there have been a series of attacks now, increasingly lethal, over weeks and months, which is why the president is going to be reviewing what the appropriate response is going forward," Kirby said.
Kirby also said that the U.S. will respond to the attacks.
"We'll do it in a time and matter of our choosing," he said, "but we know the serious consequences here of this particular attack."
Update 1/30/24, 10:12 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with more information.
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