The president has met with his national security team twice and is weighing his options before responding to an Iran-backed attack on U.S. forces in Jordan that killed three and injured dozens more, according to National Security Council spokesman retired Rear Adm. John Kirby.

President Joe Biden is considering a number of potential responses to a weekend drone attack near the Syrian border, and Kirby said he wasn’t going to “telegraph any punches from the podium” and that he knows the U.S. does not seek a wider conflict with Tehran, but that U.S. forces will defend themselves.

“We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate,” Kirby said during a briefing alongside White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “But we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves.”

Sunday’s attack was not the first but rather the latest in a string of more than 160 such acts of violence since Hamas terrorists crossed from the Gaza Strip and massacred more than 1,200 Israeli citizens and soldiers on October 7 of last year, throwing the region into sudden conflict.

The weekend attack and those before it were launched, according to the DoD, by militants armed, trained, and directed by the regime in Tehran, and come as Houthis in Yemen — also backed by Iran — attack shipping interests moving through the Red Sea.

“Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on U.S. forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “The President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”

According to early reports, it appears the drone was able to target U.S. forces after following a U.S. drone through air defense systems.

Even as Biden weighs his options, some lawmakers in Congress are calling for outright war with the Islamic Republic’s ruling regime.

“(Biden’s) policy of deterrence against Iran has failed miserably. There have been over 100 attacks against U.S. forces in the region. Iran is undeterred,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote. “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard.”

Their policy of deterrence against Iran has failed miserably. There have been over 100 attacks against U.S. forces in the region.

Iran is undeterred.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 28, 2024

“No more weak, ‘proportionate’ responses. Weakness invites aggression and escalation. Time to kill another Iranian general, perhaps? That might send the right message.,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said, apparently referring to the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed on former President Donald Trump’s order.

I’m deeply saddened to learn three of our finest were killed and dozens more injured today by a drone strike. The attack originated from radical militia groups, but make no mistake, Iran is responsible. Iran backs these groups and often directs them.

No more weak,…

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 29, 2024

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is seeking the Republican nomination to the presidency, also suggested strikes at Iranian leadership, making it clear that attacks on their proxies abroad would only prolong the inevitable.

“This is not about hitting Iran hard, it’s about hitting Iran smart,” she told Fox News. “You have to figure out which Iranian leaders are making the decisions and take them out.”

It’s easy for them to talk, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said after the drone attack. The U.S. military must think and then act, the Iraq war veteran said.

“While we mourn the loss and honor the sacrifice of the brave soldiers who stand on the front, this is a time for smart, strategic power, not political bluster. From Iranian-backed militias to China, we have enemies across the world who want to see America bogged down in another war in the Middle East,” he said.

“To the chicken hawks calling for war with Iran, you’re playing into the enemy’s hands — and I’d like to see you send your sons and daughters to fight. We must have an effective, strategic response on our terms and our timeline. Deterrence is hard; war is worse,” Moulton continued.

Former President Donald Trump said via his Truth Social media platform that the attacks could have been prevented, had he but been elected to a second term in 2020.

“This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender,” he wrote. “This attack would NEVER have happened if I was President, not even a chance – Just like the Iranian-backed Hamas attack on Israel would never have happened, the War in Ukraine would never have happened, and we would right now have Peace throughout the World.”

Those killed were identified by the Department of Defense as Sgt. William Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. All three were assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve’s 718th Engineer Company based out of Fort Moore. Dozens more were injured, according to U.S. Central Command, and Kirby said that number could rise as more soldiers and airmen report injuries.

The troops were in Jordan and stationed at an outpost known as Tower 22. Their mission, according to Austin, was “to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS.”

Herald wire services contributed.

This undated image provided by Shawn Sanders shows Spc. Kennedy Sanders, a 24-year-old Army Reserve soldier from Waycross, Ga. Sanders’ parents confirmed she was among three U.S. service members killed Sunday by a drone strike at their base in Jordan near the border with Syria. Sanders joined the Army Reserve five years ago, her parents said, and was taking college courses to become an X-ray technician. (Shawn Sanders via AP)