Biden and Harris briefed on Iranian threat, including attack on US troops in Iraq

The US will respond to a missile attack on an Iraqi base housing US military personnel “in a manner and place of our choosing,” the White House says, after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the matter with their national security team during a briefing regarding ongoing tensions in the Middle East that just wrapped.

At least five US personnel were injured when two Katyusha rockets were fired at the al Asad airbase in western Iraq, US and Iraqi sources say. There has been no claim of responsibility, but Iraq-based militias backed by Iran have carried out multiple such attacks against US servicemembers on al-Asad and elsewhere over the past several months

Biden and Harris were updated on the the threats posed by Iran and its proxies who are threatening Israel and US servicemembers in the region, the White House says.

The pair were also briefed on US military efforts to support the defense of Israel should it be attacked again like it was in April, when Iran fired some 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones at Israel.

They also discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions, particularly through the ceasefire-hostage release deal currently on the table between Israel and Hamas, the White House says.