Since October 17, there have been at least 103 attacks (and counting) on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria in the wake of Hamas terrorists’ massacre of Israelis that was launched on October 7. American service members targeted in these attacks have suffered critical and traumatic brain injuries at the hands of Iran-backed proxies in the region. So far, thankfully, no American troops have been killed — but President Joe Biden’s unserious strategy is tantamount to rolling the dice with the lives of American soldiers.
Thus far, President Biden’s response to more than 100 attacks has been fewer than a handful of counterstrikes, most of which appear to have taken out buildings, not terrorists, save for the most recent strike following an attack on U.S. forces in Iraq that injured three Americans, one critically.
The Biden strategy to deter expanding or escalating hostilities in the region has been, in the words of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, “proportional” responses to attacks. Yet a few counterstrikes in response to 103 terrorist attacks on U.S. troops is hardly a proportional reaction for the U.S.
What Biden, Austin, and the rest of this administration view as “proportional” is the opposite of what Iran’s proxies considered a deterrent. That’s why terrorists continue to launch rockets and kamikaze drones at American service members. And it’s easy to understand why.
Terrorists such as those carrying out regular attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria care about very little beyond their ability to continue trying to kill Americans. Because the cost to Iran-backed proxies for launching attacks at American troops (along with shipping vessels transiting the Red Sea) does not outweigh the potential benefit (injuring or killing Americans), the attacks have not stopped. And they won’t — unless Biden takes decisive action.
With each attack, the chances of an American service member being killed increase. With these heroic American lives on the line, why would Biden allow the attacks to continue? That’s what his strategy is doing, and it’s not going to end well — just as Biden’s strategy in Afghanistan (including relying on the “businesslike” Taliban for security — ended in the tragic and avoidable killing of 13 U.S. service members by an ISIS-K suicide bomber at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“We must not escalate the situation in the Middle East,” Team Biden and other Democrats say in attempts to defend Biden’s do-nothing “proportional” responses to terrorist attacks seeking to kill American troops. Yet escalating is exactly what Biden’s strategy is doing.
The president’s attempts to deter a larger war in the Middle East saw him state “Don’t” to those who might consider attacking other targets and launching a broader conflict, only to have Hezbollah in Lebanon ratchet up its attacks on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen blockade the Red Sea, and other Iranian proxies increase attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria.
Instead of deterring attacks, Biden’s weakness has invited more. For the first time — ever, not just in the current conflict — an American warship shot down a ballistic missile in combat on Wednesday, then downed two more.
Did Biden respond by taking out the facilities, equipment, and terrorists responsible for launching those ballistic missiles? Nope. So why wouldn’t the terrorists launch six more next week? They have no reason not to with Biden sitting on his hands.
What’s more, the cowardly excuse that showing restraint — in dealing with bloodthirsty terrorists, mind you — is the way to avoid an escalation doesn’t pass muster.
Former President Trump, nearly three years ago, ordered a drone strike to kill senior IRGC leader Qassem Soleimani. The stinging blow to Tehran paralyzed the regime and its proxies. “Peace Through Strength” isn’t a trite phrase — it’s good policy and it works.
Biden ought to launch at least 103 counterstrikes on any terrorist targets involved with the attacks on U.S. personnel to make the point that the United States will not stand by and watch its forces be attacked by barbaric terrorists. Then, Biden should begin finding more targets to strike to paralyze Iran-backed proxies across from Iraq and Syria to Yemen to neuter its ability to launch even one more rocket or unmanned aircraft laden with explosives at anyone else.
Once that mission is underway, the United States ought to use its vast intelligence community assets to identify and track down the Iranian officials responsible for giving the orders to attack American troops and other partner targets that are being carried out by Tehran’s proxies and give them the Soleimani treatment. The U.S. military includes the greatest and most lethal fighting force the world has ever known. Biden should let them do what they do best, not stand by and allow them to be sitting ducks for terrorist target practice.
If Iran-backed terrorists don’t think Biden will take such action as they do now, they’re never going to stop their attacks. If Biden continues to use lame and ineffective “proportional” responses, there’s nothing on the horizon to make these terrorists stop trying to kill our soldiers. And if, God forbid, Biden’s weakness gets more U.S. troops killed, he should resign in disgrace before he has the chance to check his watch at Dover during a dignified transfer ceremony again.
