Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin suggests U.S. could again carry out retaliatory strike after Iraqi base attack

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on Sunday that the United States still doesn't have a clear assessment of who may have been behind a rocket attack against Iraq's Ain al-Asad base, which is used by U.S.-led coalition troops, earlier this week. And while Washington intends to make sure they get a firm answer, Austin said "you can expect that the U.S. will always hold people accountable for their acts ... we'll strike, if that's what we think we need to do, at a time and place of our own choosing."

President Biden previously signed off on airstrikes in retaliation for a similar attack carried out by Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria, a decision that prompted some criticism from congressional Democrats who felt the administration didn't adequately brief lawmakers before moving forward. Austin's comments, however, suggest that such a move could again be in Biden's playbook depending on the outcome of intelligence findings.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.