of Iranian-backed proxies for the weekend# attack that killed three U From Israel to Iran, the Middle East is on# edge, waiting to see how the U.S. responds.

Nick Schifrin reports.

NICK SCHIFRIN: At an event commemorating# the Gaza Guard Corps commander said he didn't want# another war, but wasn't afraid of one.

MAJ. GEN. HOSSEIN SALAMI, Iranian Revolutionary# Guard Corps (through translator) You know that we## do NICK SCHIFRIN: Iran's Revolutionary Guard# Corps has long supported what Iran calls## an axis of resistance to conduct# forward defense against its enemies.

In Iraq, that includes Kataib Hezbollah, a member# of the umbrella group Islamic Resistance in Iraq,## which the U.S. today blamed for the attack on the# Tower 22 base in Jordan last weekend that killed## three U.S. reserve soldiers.

But, yesterday,# Kataib Hezbollah claimed in a statement that## Iran -- quote -- "does not know how it fights"# and, in fact, opposes some of the group's attacks.

And Kataib Hezbollah pledged to -- quote --# "suspend military action" against the U.S.## to -- quote -- "avoid putting the Iraqi# government in an embarrassing position."

JOHN KIRBY, NSC Coordinator For Strategic# Communications: You can't take what a## group like Kataib Hezbolla NICK SCHIFRIN: National Security Council# spokesman group's self-declared cease-fire and said# the U.S. would have multiple JO HN KIRBY: What we're anticipating# here, which won't just be a one-off,## as I said, the first thing you# see will not be the last thing.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Iran also supports# the Houthis in Yemen, which have## launched more than three dozen attacks on# international shipping for attacks on Israeli and U.S. forces.# It claims to be fighting for Gazans,## but many of the ships it has attacked# have no connection to Israel.

Today, the U.S. launched its 10th# airstrike on a Houthi target in Yemen,## and the Houthi spokesman said the# group's attacks would continue.

BRIG.

GEN. YAHYA SAREA, Houthi Military# Spokesman (through translator): The Yemeni## within the right to defend dear Yemen and# in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

NICK SCHIFRIN: For more on all# this, we get two perspectives.

Vali Nasr was an adviser at the State Department# a professor at Johns Hopkins University# School of Advanced International Studies.## Reuel Marc Gerecht was a CIA operations# officer in the Middle East in the '80s## and 90s.

He is now a senior fellow at the# Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

Thanks very much.

Welcome, both# of you, back to the "NewsHour."

Reuel Marc Gerecht, let me start here with you.

How do you believe the United States# sh three U.S. soldiers in Jordan last weekend?

REUEL MARC GERECHT, Senior Fellow, Foundation for# the Defens States Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps# inside We should have an updated version# of Operation Praying Mantis in 1988,## where the U.S. Navy quickly destroyed the# Islamic Republic's Navy, mutatis mutandis,## something like that.

I think anything# short of that is likely to be unsuccessful,## and you're going to see Iran continue# its proxy war strategy against us.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Vali Nasr, how do you# think the U.S. should respond to this## attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan?

VALI NASR, School of Advanced International# Studies, Johns Hopkins Univer does not want a wider war, attacking# Iran directly is not the way to go.

First of all, even though Kataib Hezbollah is# backed by Iran, there's not evidence that Iran## ordered the attack that killed the three# Americans.

That's number one.

Secondly,## a direct attack on Iran is going to lead# to a retaliation.

We saw this when the## United States killed an Iranian general,# Soleimani, during the Trump administration.## Iran reacted with a barrage of missiles# that hit American targets inside Iraq.

And had an American been killed then, then# we would have been at war.

So it really## goes down to what the United States wants# to achieve from this attack.

Does it want## to retaliate?

Does it want to deter# or does it want to expand the war?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Reuel Marc Gerecht, take on those# two points.

That would escalate -- what yo suggested would escalate this war.

And there is no# evidence that Iran actually ordered this attack.

REUEL MARC GERECHT: Well, one, I# think you absolutely want to escalate.

I mean, historically, the Islamic Republic# has feared escalation.

They ci rcumstances want to get in a duel with the# United States.

They know they will lose.

I would## say Donald Trump's serious mistake was, after# the -- droning Qasem Soleimani -- and by the way,## the leader of the Kataib Hezbollah at that time,# Muhandis, was with Soleimani and also died.

It's a creature of the Islamic Republic.

He# didn't escalate.

He should have responded.## So the administration has to make# up its mind whether it wants to be## effective or it wants to retrench.# If they do not take this directly## to the Islamic Republic, the odds of this# being successful, I think, are very poor.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Vali Nasr, what about that?

If# the U.S. wants to actually stop the attacks,## Reuel Marc Gerecht's point is that the# strikes need to be inside Iran itself.

VALI NASR: No, I mean, if the United States really## wants the current state of conflict# The only time that the -- all of# these attacks ended was when there## was an eight-day cease-fire that was# brokered at that time by t States.

The underlying cause of the current# escalation is the war.

And the idea that,## if you hit Iranians hard or you hit Hezbollah# hard, somehow, they will back away and let## basically the current war in Gaza go as# planned could be a massive miscalculation.

I mean, these countries have their own interest# in this war, both opportunities and fears.

And,## yes, they don't want a larger war, but they're# not going to step back just because the United## States is hitting them in order for the Gaza# war to be conducted as is desired by Israel.

And if we miscalculate, thinking that the Iranians# will slink into their hole and don't respond,## we may be surprised.

I don't think the# evidence shows that, in the past, that,## when we have hit them hard, they have backed# away.

That is a convenient reading to say that.

As I said, when we killed General# Soleimani, it did not actually end## up with a de-escalation immediately.

Iranians# hit back.

It was President Trump at that point## who decided not to retaliate against a# very provocative retaliation by Iran.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Reuel Marc# Gerecht, let me ask about Iraq.

The U.S. is in the middle of conversations the U.S. to leave the country, although the# prime minister specifically does not put a## timetable on that.

Should that discussion# about the future of U.S. troops in Iraq## play into U.S. decision-making today about# how to respond to this attack last weekend?

REUEL MARC GERECHT: Well, I don't think# you can ever allow the United States to## be held hostage by its bases# abroad and its forces abroad.

And there's no question about it.

The# United States has bases in Iraq and## elsewhere that are not properly armed# with anti-missile batteries.

And it's## an issue.

The Israelis also have a problem# in that, if the Iranians were to unleash## or encourage Hezbollah to let loose its# missiles, the Israeli air force, I think,## fairly quickly would destroy those forces,# but it could pincushion Tel Aviv for a while.

So it's a real issue.

But I think the overall# problem is, you can't let them hold you,## essentially extort you, can't let them blackmail# you.

And I would have to disagree with Vali.## I mean, the Iranians have been gaming# us and using a proxy war strategy long## before the Gaza war broke out.

It's close to# a miracle that Americans hadn't died earlier## from the numerous attacks that Iranian allied# militias, proxies have launched against us.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Vali Nasr, do you think that# the U.S. should be thinking about the impact## of its presence in Iraq when it considers# how to respond to this weekend attack?

VALI NASR: Yes, because the Kataib# Hezbollah are not Iranians.

They're## Iraqis.

That organization and its fellow# militias are a political reality in And they have significant power in# the country among the population,## as well as in the halls of power with the# government.

And taking them on directly## basically can undermine the central Iraqi# government and destabilize Iraq.

In other words,## United States and Iran can go to war# with Iraq -- in Iraq with one another.

But they have to be also mindful that the# casualty here would be Iraq.

And the United## States is trying to maintain troops# and forces in order partly to protect## the Iraqi government that it has set up.# And it's not that straightforward that,## if you went after the militias, somehow,# Iraq will come out of this unscathed as well.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Reuel Marc Gerecht, I only have# about 45 seconds, so very quickly, you heard## John Kirby there largely dismiss the statement# by Kataib Hezbollah.

Do you also d REUEL MARC GERECHT: Yes.

Iraqis, but they have been in league with Iran.# The Revolutionary Guard Corps has given them a lot## of money and training for a cause.

And that is,# essentially, they have the same goal, to kick the## United States out of Iraq, to humble the United# States in the Middle East, to destroy Israel.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And, Vali Nasr,# quickly to you, same question.

Should the U.S. take seriously what# Kataib Hezbollah said ye which was essentially unilateral cease-fire?

VALI NASR: Well, we shall see if they follow# through.

I mean, actions speak But I would say that perhaps they# have realized that they have come## to the brink of something dangerous and may# back away.

That does not end the conflict.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Yes.

VA NICK SCHIFRIN: Vali Nasr, Reuel Marc# Gerecht, thank you very much to you both.

REUEL MARC GERECHT: My pleasure.

VALI NAS