CENTCOM Sunday reported the death of three American servicemen and the injury of over two dozen more in a drone attack on a U.S. base in northeastern Jordan, near the borders with Syria and Iraq. The White House, in its statement the same day, attributed the attacks to Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq.

Per the Washington Post, an official of the Islamic Resistance—an umbrella group for Shiite militant groups in Iraq and Syria—claimed that the strike was targeting American assets in Syria.

Politicians of both parties called for direct military retaliation against the Islamic Republic.

Geoff LaMear of Defense Priorities argued in these pages that escalation in the Middle East will lead to further quagmire, and the U.S. should instead reduce its exposure in the region.

The balance of risk and reward matter. The rewards for staying are intangible, dubious, and largely imaginary. The risks for staying are bloody, costly, and catastrophic.