WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The killing of three U.S. troops and wounding of dozens more on Sunday by Iran-backed militants is piling political pressure on President Joe Biden to deal a blow directly against Iran, a move he’s been reluctant to do out of fear of igniting a broader war.
Biden’s response options could range anywhere from targeting Iranian forces outside to even inside Iran, or opting for a more cautious retaliatory attack solely against the Iran-backed militants responsible, experts say.
American forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 150 times by Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
But until Sunday’s attack on a remote outpost known as Tower 22 near Jordan’s northeastern border with Syria, the strikes had not killed U.S. troops nor wounded so many. That allowed Biden the political space to mete out U.S. retaliation, inflicting costs on Iran-backed forces without risking a direct war with Tehran.
Political pressure builds on Biden to strike Iran after US deaths
Defence Contractor Company Shareholder Pressure Builds on Biden to Strike Iran
Sorted that headline for ya
I’m just glad to have such a recent and relevant example of how Biden doesn’t bow to pressure from voters.
Biden could have stopped this conflict and got all the hostages released back in October if he temporarily withheld arms from Bibi. But he’d rather infantilize Israel with his bear hug policy. He can’t fathom it’s a government of ultra right individuals assembled to protect Bibi from corruption charges.
Citation needed. Bibi wasn’t begging for more arms. He had plenty. Granted this was 100% an unforced catastrophe on Biden’s part. But Biden couldn’t have stopped shit. Ask yourself why the house and senate aren’t up in arms over this. Or where your concern was the last 15 years where Israel quietly slaughtered far more Palestinians without media attention. Under multiple administrations. Almost like it’s not a Biden problem. But a general problem.
Warmonger Bibi doesn’t care about tens of billions in military aid to a country of less than 10 million? Get the fuck out of here.
Oh, he cares. He just doesn’t care if it comes from the US, or China, or Russia. No aid means no influence.
What’s going on in Gaza is what Bibi lives for, and it’s what his base elected him to do. He’d send the IDF in with clubs and slingshots of that were the only option.
Senator Holden Bloodfeast (118)
So 10k (random low number) deaths for 3 US military personel who signed up for such a possibility? Capitalists don’t seem to be able to count when their opponent isn’t white skinned.
Edit: specifying that I am predicting the deaths if U.S was to bomb iran or some shit.
I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding about the point of a retaliatory military strike. The tit for tat bean counting with human lives isn’t even a large part of the calculus ultimately.
Not retaliating is seen as a sign of weakness which would serve to undermine NATO’s military stance of absolute first strike authority at anytime for any reason. Allowing Iran to attack US troops without a military response is relinquishing, in some small way, the US backed monopoly on violence. Right, wrong, or indifferent that is simply not something that will be allowed to happen.
Or how to keep global terrorism with a never ending supply of angry young people.
Your correct that military action does inflame people. But this action is trying to stop the people sponsoring the terrorist.
A better approach would be to stop sponsoring Israel’s genocidal war on Palestine. This would decrease tensions and allow diplomatic options to become viable.
Israel had a cease fire, which appears to have been motivated by the US pausing delivery of weapons to Israel. As soon as the weapons were delivered they went right back at it. So the US does have considerable influence.
The people doing these attacks in Yemen claim they are trying to disrupt Israel and it’s war on Gaza. Take away their moral cover and their support will weaken. They’ll be seen as terrorists if they don’t stop and will be politically easier to attack and politically harder to support.
And this is all Israel fault. Gotta remember it when things start to escalate seriously.
Now I’m no supporter of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but your statement is way too reductive.
The current disaster in Gaza was ignited by Hamas on October 7th, no doubt at the encouragement of Iran. And yes, Israel definitely bears a significant amount of responsibility for creating the tinder box that October 7th sparked, and also has certainly fanned the flames with enthusiasm.
But responsibility for the escalation and continuation of the situation rests also on Iran, on Hamas and the Houthis, and also to a lesser degree on the US and other Western allies that enable Israel.
Talk about reductive.
The October 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas was also a result of 75 years of illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel.
I’m sorry, I don’t follow what you’re trying to convey here.
That there is an even bigger picture than in my comment? Well, yes, of course. The Israel-Palestine situation is a hundred year old mess.
But how was my comment reductive as well? I didn’t lay the blame squarely at the feet of any one party, which is far closer to the truth than saying “It’s all Israel’s fault.”
And if you take contention with me being nuanced, please consider that by doing so you don’t actually do any favours to the conversation and therefore a peaceful resolution that is as fair as can possibly be achieved.
So, if it helps you come back to the table, please know that I absolutely think what Israel is doing is appalling and they have an obscene power disparity over the Palestinian people and are abusing that wholesale - when they could use it to create peace.
When your fighters start mutilating, torturing, raping, and kidnapping civilians, It doesn’t matter how righteous you think your cause is.
So any action from Hamas (or Palestinian resistance in general) gets hit back with Israeli retaliation. Does that mean they should just not do anything and hope daddy Israel gives them a mile of land after a century?
I’m… really not sure what point you’re trying to make to me here, sorry.
Unless you’re trying to strawman me, in which case - why?
killing people, using hospitals as base of operations and raping hostages sure does not aid those terrorists of the Hamas…
Unconditional surrender worked out pretty well for Japan and Germany. Palestine keeps choosing violence, losing more and more because of it, and they’re all out of ideas.
funny how you misspelled Hamas. Also Iran is just as evil as Russia or North Korea…I doubt that much is lost without their current leadership.
