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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaWhite House blames Iran-backed militia for deadly drone strikePublished24 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Biden tells press he has decided on a response to the drone attack in JordanThe White House has blamed an Iran-backed militia for a deadly drone strike on an American base in Jordan, as the US considers how to hit back.National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said US intelligence believed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq was responsible for Sunday’s attack.President Joe Biden has said without elaborating that he has already decided what the US response will be.The strike killed three US soldiers and injured at least 40 other US troops.The “attribution that our intelligence community is comfortable with is that this was done by the umbrella group”, said Mr Kirby in a daily press briefing on Wednesday.What options does US have to respond to Jordan attack?What is Tower 22 and why are US troops in Jordan?The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has already claimed responsibility for the strike.The national security spokesman repeated that the US response would be “in a time and in a manner of our choosing, on our schedule”.”Just because you haven’t seen anything in the last 48 hours, it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to see anything,” he said.”The first thing you see won’t be the last thing,” he added.Mr Biden has said he does not want a wider conflict in the Middle East, which has already been destabilised by the Israel Gaza war that erupted in October.Iran has denied any role in the drone attack.At an event on Wednesday, Revolutionary Guard commander Major General Hossein Salami, who advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Tehran hears the “threats coming from American officials”. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Parents of US soldiers killed: ‘I’m still in shock'”No threat will be left unanswered,” he added. His remarks came a day after Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, told Iranian journalists in New York that Tehran would “decisively respond” to any attack on the country, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.While Washington weighs its response, Kataib Hezbollah, part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said on Tuesday it had suspended operations against US forces to avoid causing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government.Three American soldiers who were based at Fort Moore, in the US state of Georgia, died in the drone strike in north-eastern Jordan.At least 41 National Guard members were injured, US officials confirmed on Wednesday.The injured soldiers are from units based in Arizona, California, Kentucky and New York. Twenty-seven were able to return to duty while 14 others continue to be medically evaluated, the US National Guard Bureau said.Meanwhile, the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen have continued to carry out missile and drone attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza. Early on Thursday local time, a ship in the Gulf of Aden was struck by a missile fired from the Taiz region, according to Ambrey, a maritime security firm. A spokesman for the Houthis confirmed the attack.According to the Pentagon, the Houthis have launched more than 30 attacks on commercial ships since 19 November. The ongoing attacks have triggered retaliatory strikes from both American and British forces. Related TopicsWhite HouseIsrael-Gaza warIranJordanUS politicsUnited StatesJoe BidenMore on this storyWhat options does US have to respond to Jordan attack?Published2 days agoWhat is Tower 22 and why are US troops in Jordan?Published2 days agoTop StoriesNine hurt in ‘horrific’ attack with corrosive materialPublished11 minutes agoSturgeon denies Covid decisions were politicalPublished4 hours agoSturgeon fights back tears: Key moments from Covid inquiry evidence. 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[ad_1] The White House says the US will respond to the attack “in a time and in a manner of our choosing”.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaVladimir Putin: Many Russians see no alternative candidate as election loomsPublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, EPAImage caption, Celebrities were in attendance as Vladimir Putin spoke at a major campaign event on WednesdayBy Steve RosenbergRussia EditorIn an exhibition hall opposite the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin walks onto a stage.There’s rapturous applause, a standing ovation.No surprise there. The invited guests – many of them Russian celebrities – are officially supporting Mr Putin’s candidacy in the presidential election in March.The Kremlin leader is running for a fifth term in office. The audience here is only too pleased. “[Putin’s] an extraordinary leader, the most courageous and wise person,” gushes filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky.”The Russian people have never been so united in their support for their president,” claims singer Nadezhda Babkina. “And anyone who tries to prevent that will fail.”The idea behind the event (and this high-profile celebrity support) seems to be to show that candidate Putin is in a league of his own: Premier League Putin.Keep in mind, though: this is a league he created and of which he’s in charge. Russia’s political system is Mr Putin’s political system; his rules of the game; his election. Mr Putin’s most vocal critics have long been relegated. They’re either in exile or in prison. Which makes elections here rather predictable. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today, was among the famous faces to appear in support of President PutinThat wasn’t always the case. Thirty years ago in Moscow I remember watching one of Russian TV’s first ever election night results programmes – it was for a parliamentary election. No-one had a clue who was going to win. I’ll never forget the astrologer they had on to make a political forecast. Quite appropriate really, because three decades ago, Russians had stars in their eyes about democracy, freedom, and their country’s future. For a Russian election today you don’t need astrologers or crystal balls. I can tell you now how the 2024 presidential election will end: with a Vladimir Putin landslide. The reasons for such confidence? First, although his will not be the only name on the ballot, Mr Putin’s challengers will not include arch-rivals like jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Putin v Navalny? Matches like that just aren’t allowed to happen in the Putin Premier League. True, another Kremlin critic, Boris Nadezhdin, is pushing to be on the ballot. But Mr Nadezhdin is not Mr Navalny. He carefully calibrates his criticisms of Mr Putin. He’s also believed to have connections within the presidential administration. If he does end up running, it will be because the Kremlin has decided it’s in Mr Putin’s interests to face a more critical challenger. Image source, EPAImage caption, Boris Nadezhdin, a critic of the Ukraine war, says he has enough signatures to stand in the electionsSecond, in Russia the Kremlin controls television. Mr Putin receives vast amounts of airtime during which he’s much praised and rarely criticised: handy when you’re seeking re-election. And there’s another reason Mr Putin will do well. “We all support your decision to run in the election. Because you’ve been in power as long as I can remember,” said Alexander, a young Russian TV reporter at Mr Putin’s end of year press conference.I’ve met many Russians like Alexander who cannot imagine anyone else in the Kremlin. Not because they idolise Mr Putin. They just see no alternative. I’ve often heard people say: “Well, if not Putin, who then?” The Kremlin has engineered that. It has cleared the political landscape removing any potential challengers to the man who has ruled Russia, as president or prime minister, for nearly a quarter of a century. By doing so, it has ensured that little question – “who then?” – is left unanswered. When I talk to people in the town of Rzhev, 140 miles (225km) from Moscow, about their hopes for the election, many seem to want change – without changing the leader.”I hope things change for the better because there’s stagnation now,” says a young man called Ilya. “But if you elect someone new, that person might not cope with the burden of government. Someone experienced like Putin can develop the country even in the difficult situation we’re in now.””I have big hopes for the election,” says pensioner Lidiya. “I hope that the war will end and the economy will improve. But I do respect Putin.””Is there no-one else who could do his job?” I ask.”Not right now,” Lidiya replies. “Maybe Putin will find someone later. But I think he’ll be in power for a long time to come.”Even the war in Ukraine and significant Russian military losses don’t appear to have sparked widespread disillusionment in Russia’s president and Commander-in-Chief. It was Mr Putin’s decision to launch the full-scale invasion. But some Russians believe that at a time of war it is their duty to back their leader, without questioning his motives or the consequences. Others accept the official narrative/alternative reality that it’s the West, not Russia, that started the war.I meet one woman in Rzhev who does want to see change in the Kremlin. Former TV journalist and regional legislator Yekaterina Duntsova recently tried to run for president herself. She called for peace in Ukraine, the release of political prisoners and a “humane” Russia. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova is setting up a new party after being disqualified from running for presidentRussia’s Central Election Commission refused to accept her nomination, citing errors in her paperwork. “I think the political system here sees me as some kind of alien object, and doesn’t know what to do with me,” Ms Duntsova said. “Because I appeared out of the blue the system doesn’t understand who I am. So it’s decided to keep me well out of harm’s way.”Now she’s setting up a new party. Isn’t she scared that the system will turn on her?”We’re not doing anything illegal. We act according to the law. As for being scared, fear mustn’t prevail. I believe in what I’m doing. And this conviction relegates fear to second place.” Back at the Putin campaign event, I talk to Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of RT.”A leader in power for a quarter of a century and more… with no checks and balances. Isn’t that dangerous?” I ask.”That’s a mantra you guys have been propagating for years,” she replies. “If a person has been in power for a long time, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be worse than if you change a leader every four years. Pol Pot in Cambodia annihilated a third of his population in three years.”A comforting thought. Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaVladimir PutinMore on this storyPutin challenger submits bid to run for presidentPublished58 minutes agoFears for Russia activist over secretive jail movePublished1 day agoNavalny: Russia’s jailed but vociferous Putin criticPublished4 August 2023Top StoriesLive. New deal means no routine checks on GB to NI goodsLive. Sturgeon: I did not take Covid decisions for political reasonsCrossbow man shot dead by police was stalkerPublished1 hour agoFeatures’I saved £200 by doing Dry January’Sturgeon fights back tears: Key moments from Covid inquiry evidence. 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