With his first known military attack, President biden
Joe BidenHouse Democrats Approve .9T COVID-19 Relief Bill with Minimum Wage Increase Biden to hold virtual bilateral meeting with Mexican president sought to send a strong message to Iran while trying to prevent a further escalation.
Biden ordered Thursday’s attack on facilities used by Iranian-backed militants in Syria in response to several recent rocket attacks against US interests in Iraq, suspected of being carried out by militias.
The target seemed calibrated to tell Iran to eliminate it without getting out of control, as the government seeks to save space for diplomacy with Tehran in order to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
“Somewhere there is a pleasant and happy middle ground between taking someone as [Qassem] Soleimani and showing that you are serious, ”said Barry Pavel, director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, referring to the Iranian general killed in a drone attack ordered by former President Trump
Donald TrumpBiden to hold virtual bilateral meeting with Mexican President More than 300 accused in connection with the Capitol riot Trump Jr.: There are “many” rulers who should be challenged MORE.
“It meant, ‘We are serious, you cannot continue to push and attack us through proxies. You will pay a price, ‘”added Pavel of Biden’s strike. “It is a very different approach from the Trump administration. As I said, discriminate, calibrate and concentrate the use of force for specific military interests. “
Biden’s action received praise from some of the Republicans who had been criticizing his diplomatic openings to Iran and from some Democrats who saw it as a limited and proportionate response. But other Democrats questioned the legality of the strikes, saying they would not hesitate to demand the same responses they asked for when Trump took military action without Congressional approval.
For his part, Biden said the strike was intended to send the message that “you can’t act with impunity”.
“Be careful,” he told reporters during his stint in Houston on Friday.
Air strikes hit intermediate stations used by two Iranian-backed militias to transport arms, personnel and supplies across the Syrian border to Iraq.
The attack was conducted by two F-15E fighters, which launched seven precision-guided ammunition, said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.
It completely destroyed nine facilities and damaged two others, making them “functionally destroyed,” added Kirby. The Pentagon had “preliminary indications” on Friday that there were casualties, but Kirby declined to give further details because the damage assessment has not been completed.
“I think the strike sends a message to anyone in the region, to all opponents in the region – organizations, people, leaders who are operating in ways that are contrary to the security and stability of the region and our interests and those of our partners – that we will defend ourselves, that we will protect our interests, ”said Kirby.
“We will certainly act to protect our people and the forces of our allies and partners,” he added. “This is an unambiguous and clear message to anyone in the region about what the stakes are if you are going to continue to conduct attacks against our people and the Iraqi people.”
Biden ordered the attack after three recent rocket attacks in Iraq, including one in Erbil that killed a non-American contractor who worked with US forces and wounded several US contractors and a member of the US service.
Immediately after the rocket attacks, the Biden government avoided blaming it, leading to some speculation that it was trying to keep temperatures with Tehran low in an attempt to revive the nuclear deal with Iran.
The Trump administration was quick to blame Tehran after similar rocket attacks, but retaliation at one point brought the United States and Iran to the brink of war.
In late 2019, the U.S. military carried out attacks in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed militia in response to a rocket attack that killed a U.S. contractor. Eye for eye increased until Trump’s drone attack on Soleimani, followed by an Iranian missile attack in Iraq that wounded more than 100 American soldiers.
The Trump administration also hit the militia in Iraq last March, after a rocket attack killed two American soldiers and a British military. But the consequences of this were minimal, as both the United States and Iran were turning their attention to the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden accepted an invitation from the European Union to participate in negotiations with Iran and other signatories to the Obama-era nuclear deal. The president said he would re-join the agreement, which was withdrawn by Trump, if Iran respects it.
Since Trump withdrew, Iran has violated the limits of the uranium enrichment and storage agreement, and recently limited access by international nuclear inspectors. Tehran insists that the United States lift the sanctions imposed by Trump before returning to compliance.
Amid Biden’s diplomatic openings, Republicans warned him against lifting sanctions. But after Thursday night’s strikes, some of those same critics praised Biden for signaling Iran that he will not tolerate threats to US personnel.
“Last night, the United States showed that attacks on American officials and interests will not be tolerated,” Rep. Mike Rogers
Michael (Mike) Dennis RogersOvernight Defense: Biden sends message with air strike in Syria | US intelligence points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi assassination | Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission Defense overnight: One-third of military personnel refuse coronavirus vaccine | Biden to take executive action in response to Solar Winds hack | US and Japan reach cost-sharing agreement DOD says nearly a third of service members are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine MORE (R-Ala.), The senior member of the Chamber’s Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “I support President Biden’s response to the provocation of Iran-backed militias. We must defend our interests abroad, and I hope that the Biden administration will continue to apply pressure to prevent further aggression from Iran and its representatives. “
The main Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, senator. James Inhofe
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Still, Inhofe added, “the fact that Iran opted for an escalation shortly after the government declared its desire to resume talks with Tehran did not go unnoticed.”
“I hope the government will rethink its current negotiating strategy with Iran and work with Congress on a bipartisan approach that will address Iran’s support for terrorism, as well as its nuclear and ballistic missile program,” he said. “We cannot suspend sanctions against a country that continues to target Americans and our allies for murder.”
But the attack should not put diplomacy with Iran over the nuclear deal, said Pavel, a former Pentagon official.
There is a possibility that Iran would reject the negotiations initially after the strike, but it is ultimately in its interest to return to the agreement and lift sanctions, he said.
“So, regardless of that, it doesn’t change your calculations on that. The same with the United States, at least with the Biden government. It is in the United States’ interest to go back and restrict Iran’s nuclear program,” said Pavel.
Meanwhile, progressive Democrats were dismayed that Biden turned to military action, attacking him especially for not having sought Congressional authorization beforehand.
“There is absolutely no justification for a president to authorize a military attack other than in self-defense against an imminent threat without Congressional authorization. We need to get rid of the Middle East, not climb, ”Rep. Ro Khanna
Rohit (Ro) KhannaOvernight Defense: Biden sends message with air attack on Syria | US intelligence points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi assassination | Pentagon launches sexual assault commission led by Biden civilians ‘disappointed’ by Senate parliamentary decision, but ‘respects’ decision Democrats seek to improve outreach to Asian and Latin communities MORE (D-Calif.) Said in a statement. “I spoke out against an endless war with Trump, and I will speak out against it when we have a Democratic president.”
The White House cited Biden’s authority under Article II of the Constitution to defend US personnel as the internal legal authority for the strike. In accordance with international law, the government cited article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which allows self-defense in the event of an attack.
“We have had a rigorous process to include a legal review of the attacks carried out,” said a spokesman for the National Security Council (NSC).
“The targets were chosen to correspond to the recent attacks – the facilities are used by the KSS and KH – and to stop the risk of further attacks in the coming weeks,” they added, using the acronyms of two Iranian-supported militias, blamed on the Iraq attacks. : Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
The Pentagon informed Congress leadership before the strike, and government officials informed individual members and officials on Friday, the White House said.
There will also be a full secret briefing for lawmakers early next week or “before, if Congress wants to,” added the NSC spokesman.
Chairman of the Chamber’s Armed Services Committee Adam Smith
David (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: Biden Sends Message With Air Attack In Syria | US intelligence points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi assassination | Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission 12:30 report from The Hill – Presented by Facebook – Divided House in full view Almost 5,000 National Guard soldiers will remain in DC due to concerns about potential violence in March MORE (D-Wash.) He supported the attack as a “proportional and appropriate” response to the recent rocket attacks, but emphasized the need for diplomacy.
“Although the military attack was necessary to protect our people in the region and prevent further attacks, I spoke with the Biden government’s national security team, and they are committed to using diplomacy and involvement with Iran, and also to working with our allies. and partners in the region to ease tensions going forward, ”he said in a statement. “I strongly support this effort.”