CentCom has issued a bare-bones press release (below) announcing the death of three American service members and the injury of 25 more in a drone attack last night at a base in Jordan near the border with Syria and Iraq. Axios and others identify the base as Tower 22.

A White House statement attributed to President Biden discloses that “we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”

It’s good to know the White House follows the mainstream media stylebook calling for “terrorists” to be identified as “militants.” It makes it all go down a little more smoothly. Now the president can go back to sleep.

The White House statement adds Dr. Jill to the mix and amps up the rhetoric that has failed to dissuade Iran from keeping at it: “Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen—and Americans across the country—in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack.”

Dr. Jill may scare Joe and the staff, but the mullahs aren’t intimidated by her. And the rhetoric that has failed to deter Iran so far bodes continued failure in the future.

Politico quotes the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs vowing more of the same in a recorded interview posted Sunday morning on ABC’s This Week. Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown said the U.S. does not want the conflict in the Middle East to continue to broaden. “The goal is to deter them and we don’t want to go down a path of greater escalation that drives to a much broader conflict within the region,” he said. It’s a point the Biden administration makes every time Iran arranges for attacks on American soldiers or assets.