With his first known military strike, President Biden
Joe BidenHouse Democrats approve .9T COVID-19 relief bill with rising minimum wage. Biden to hold virtual bilateral meeting with Mexican president More than 300 defendants in connection with Capitol revolt MORE he tried to send a forceful message to Iran as he tried to avoid further escalation.
Biden ordered Thursday’s strike at facilities used by Iran-backed militants in Syria in response to several recent rocket attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, suspected to have been carried out by militias.
The goal seemed calibrated to tell Iran to remove it without the situation spiraling out of control, as the administration wants to save room for diplomacy with Tehran in order to reactivate the 2015 nuclear deal.
“Somewhere there is a beautiful and happy way between getting someone like [Qassem] Soleimani and proving that it means business, “said Barry Pavel, director of the Atlantic Council’s Center for Strategy and Security, referring to the Iranian general killed in a drone strike ordered by the former President Trump
Donald TrumpBiden to hold virtual bilateral meeting with Mexican president More than 300 defendants in connection with Trump Jr. Capitol revolt: There are “a lot” of Republican Party headlines that should be challenged MORE.
“That meant,‘ we mean business, you can’t keep pushing us and attacking us through reps. You will pay a price, “Pavel added to the Biden strike.” It’s a very different approach from the Trump administration. As I said, discriminating, calibrating and focusing the use of force for particular military interests. “
Biden’s action garnered praise from some of the Republicans who had criticized its diplomatic openings toward Iran and from certain Democrats who saw it as a limited and proportionate response. But other Democrats questioned the legality of the strikes and said they would not shy away from demanding the same responses as when Trump took military action without congressional approval.
For his part, Biden said the strike was intended to send the message that “one cannot act with impunity.”
“Be careful,” he told reporters Friday while in Houston.
The airstrikes hit transit stations used by two Iran-backed militias to transport weapons, personnel and supplies across the border from Syria to Iraq.
The strike was carried out by two F-15E fighter jets, which fired seven accurately guided ammunition, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
It completely destroyed nine facilities and damaged two more, making them “functionally destroyed,” Kirby added. The Pentagon had “preliminary indications” on Friday that there were casualties, but Kirby refused to delve deeper because the damage assessment was not complete.
“I think the strike sends a message to anyone in the region, to all opponents in the region: organizations, people, leaders who operate in ways that are contrary to the security and stability of the region and our interests in our partners: that we will defend ourselves, that we will protect our interests, “Kirby said.
“We will certainly act to protect our people and the forces of our allies and partners,” he added. “This is a clear and unequivocal message to anyone in the region about what their involvement is if you want to continue attacking our people and the Iraqi people.”
Biden ordered the strike after three recent rocket attacks in Iraq, including one in Erbil, which killed a non-US contractor working with US forces and injured several US contractors and a member of the American service.
Immediately after the rocket attacks, the Biden administration suspended its responsibility, prompting some speculation about its attempt to keep temperatures with Tehran low, as it seeks to reactivate the Iranian nuclear deal.
The Trump administration had been 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 a Iran-backed militia in response to a rocket attack that killed a U.S. contractor. The title per tat rose to Trump’s drone attack on Soleimani, followed by an Iranian missile attack in Iraq that wounded more than 100 U.S. soldiers.
The Trump administration also attacked the militia in Iraq last March after a rocket attack that killed two U.S. troops and a member of the British service. But the consequences of this were minimal, as both the United States and Iran were focusing their attention on the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden has accepted an invitation from the European Union to take part in talks with Iran and other signatories to the Obama-era nuclear deal. The president has said he would rejoin the deal, which was withdrawn by Trump, if Iran re-fulfills it.
Since Trump withdrew, Iran has violated the limits of the agreement to enrich and store uranium and recently limited access for international nuclear inspectors. Tehran insists the United States lift the sanctions imposed by Trump before re-enforcing them.
Amid Biden’s diplomatic openings, Republicans have warned him against lifting sanctions. But after Thursday night’s strikes, some of those same critics praised Biden for indicating to Iran that he would not tolerate threats to U.S. personnel.
“Last night, the United States demonstrated that attacks on U.S. personnel and interests would not be tolerated,” the rep said. Mike Rogers
Michael (Mike) Dennis Rogers Night Defense: Biden sends a message with the Syrian air strike | US reports indicate that the Saudi Crown Prince killed Khashoggi Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission Night Defense: One-third of service members decline coronavirus vaccine | Biden will take enforcement action in response to Wind Winds hack US and Japan reach cost-sharing deal DOD says nearly a third of service members decline COVID-19 vaccine MORE (R-Ala.), A member of the House Armed Services Committee ranking, said in a statement. “I support President Biden’s response to the provocation of Iranian-backed militias. We must defend our interests abroad and I hope that the Biden Administration will continue to put pressure to deter future aggression by Iran and its representatives. “
The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator. James Inhofe
James (Jim) Mountain InhofeSenators has not given any timetable for removing the National Guard and the Capitol Defense fence overnight: the president of the new Senate’s armed services talks to the Pentagon’s political candidate, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads a report on the assassination of Khashoggi Austin emphasizes vaccine safety in a new video. The passage of John Lewis’s Voting Rights Advancement Act is the first step in healing our democracy MORE (Okla.), Similarly praised Biden’s “correct and proportionate response to protecting American lives.”
However, Inhofe added, “the fact that Iran chose to escalate shortly after the administration declared its desire to resume negotiations with Tehran has not gone unnoticed.”
“I hope the administration will rethink its current negotiating strategy with Iran and work with Congress on a bipartisan approach that addresses Iran’s support for terrorism, as well as its nuclear and ballistic missile program.” he said. “We cannot lift sanctions on a country that continues to rule Americans and our allies for murder.”
But the strike is unlikely to jeopardize diplomacy with Iran over the nuclear deal, said Pavel, a former Pentagon official.
There is a possibility that Iran will initially reject talks after the strike, but in the end it is in its interest to return to the agreement and lift sanctions, he said.
“So regardless of that, that doesn’t change his calculation in that regard. As with the U.S., the Biden administration at least. The interests of the United States are to go back and limit Iran’s nuclear program.” said Paul.
Progressive Democrats, meanwhile, were appalled that Biden was leaning toward military action, causing a particular explosion for not having previously sought congressional permission.
“There is absolutely no justification for a president to authorize a military strike that is not defended against an imminent threat without the permission of Congress. We must get out of the Middle East, not climb,” he receives. Ro Khanna
Rohit (Ro) Khanna Night Defense: Biden sends message with Syrian air strike | US reports indicate that the Saudi Crown Prince killed Khashoggi The Pentagon launches the civilian-led sexual assault commission, Biden, “disappointed” by the Senate parliamentary decision, but “respects” the Democrats’ decision to improve the outreach of Asian and Latino communities. (D-California) said in a statement. “I spoke out against the 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 U.S. personnel as the national legal authority for the strike. Under international law, the administration cited Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, which allows for self-defense in the event of an attack.
“We had a rigorous process to include the legal review of the strikes carried out,” a National Security Council (NSC) spokesman said.
“The targets were chosen to match the recent attacks (the facilities are used by KSS and KH) and to deter the risk of additional attacks over the coming weeks,” they added, using the acronyms of two militias backed by the Iran Accused of Attacks on Iraq: Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.
The Pentagon briefed congressional leaders ahead of the strike, and administration officials reported individual members and staff on Friday, the White House said.
There will also be a full classified briefing to lawmakers early next week or “before if Congress wants it,” the NSC spokesman added.
Chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the House Adam Smith
David (Adam) Adam Smith Night Defense: Biden sends a message with the Syrian air strike US reports indicate that the Saudi Crown Prince killed Khashoggi Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission Report The Hill’s 12:30 p.m. (D-Wash.) He supported the strike as a “proportionate and appropriate” response to recent rocket attacks, but stressed the need for diplomacy.
“While the military strike was necessary to protect our personnel in the region and deter further attacks, I have spoken to the Biden administration’s national security team and they are committed to using diplomacy and commitment to the Iran, and also to work with our allies and partners in the region to reduce tensions in the future, “he said in a statement. “I strongly support this effort.”