US President Joe Biden says he has made up his mind on how to respond to a drone attack that killed US service members in Jordan, as he weighs punishing Iran-aligned militias without triggering a wider war.

Biden, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on a campaign trip to Florida, did not elaborate on his decision, which came after consultations with top advisers at the White House.

He said the US did not need a wider war in the Middle East, echoing comments from other officials on Tuesday that the US does not want a war with Iran.

Biden has been weighing his options and the expectation has been that there will be retaliatory strikes. The timing of the response has been unclear.

“I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for,” said Biden.

Biden replied “yes” when asked if he had decided how to respond to the attacks.

Asked if Iran was responsible, Biden added: “I do hold …. them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons” to those who carried out the attacks.

Three US service members were killed and at least 34 wounded in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants on US troops in north-eastern Jordan near the Syrian border, officials said on Sunday.

The Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah announced the suspension of all its military operations against US troops in the region, in a decision aimed at preventing “embarrassment” to the Iraqi government, the group said in a statement.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Iraqi official said Kataib Hezbollah’s decision came after intensive contacts by the Iraqi government with both US officials and Iraqi armed groups to prevent escalation after the Jordan attack.

“Clearly what happened was a step too far and put everyone at a crossroads,” the official said.

Founded in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah is one of the elite Iraqi armed factions closest to Iran.

It is the most powerful armed faction in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of hardline Shi’ite armed groups that have claimed more than 150 attacks on US forces since the Gaza war began in October.

Iraq’s government is backed by parties and armed groups close to Iran, though not directly by the hardline groups that have been firing on US forces, foreign and Iraqi officials say.

Iraq has condemned the attacks while also saying regional escalation will continue as long as the Gaza war goes on.