JERUSALEM – The White House is facing sharp criticism that President Biden’s “no attack” warning to Iran is not being taken seriously after Iranian-backed terrorist militias wounded a U.S. soldier at Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq on Monday and are suspected of carrying out new attacks in Syria on Friday.
Asked by reporters on Saturday what his message to Iran was, Biden again replied, “Stop it.” Critics argue that Biden’s Iran policy has stalled and that warnings to Iran and its proxies in October and April have not deterred them.
Following Monday’s attack on Iraq, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with their national security team to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East. I said it with X In addition to discussing the threat from Iran and its proxies, “we also discussed the measures we are taking to defend our forces and to respond to any attack on our personnel in the manner and location of our choosing,” he said.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted an interview with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer. X’s statement, “The administration continues to tell Iran, ‘Stop it,’ but has since taken no action to impose costs. This weakness means the risk from Iran continues to grow. “When asked if he had a message he wanted to send to Iran, days before Iran’s first attack on Israel in April, Biden replied, ‘Stop it.’
US assets deployed in the Middle East would help Israel but are unlikely to change Iran’s mind about retaliating, experts say
President Biden and Vice President Harris were briefed by Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement officials in the White House Situation Room.
A new attack on a US military facility in Syria occurred on Friday, with US officials telling Fox News that a drone struck the area, causing minor injuries to US and coalition personnel. The damage was still being assessed.
One expert said Iran’s growing belligerence in the Middle East is linked to the Biden administration’s failure to re-establish an effective deterrent to thwart new Tehran attacks.
“As long as the US continues to essentially absorb attacks by Iran-backed militias against its base infrastructure and regional military presence, we can expect these attacks to continue. Militia rocket, mortar and drone attacks are one of the ways Iran has chosen to fight the US on the cheap,” Behnam Ben Taleb, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who focuses on threats from the Iranian regime, told Fox News Digital.
U.S. soldiers train at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq. (U.S. Army)
He added: “Given the disproportionate response rate — at least 172 attacks since October 7, and only around 10 responses — it is no wonder that the deterrent provided by Washington’s last meaningful use of force against these groups in early 2024 has faded.”
The Iran expert continued, “Deterrence is recurring. That fact cannot be underestimated in the Middle East today. The increased attacks by these militias could be linked to part of a larger Iranian retaliation strategy.” [Ismail] Haniya [a Hamas terror leader]”The wave of attacks since the summer are more locally motivated by Iraqi and Syrian militias and are part of a larger plan to create a cycle of violence and drive the US out of the region.”
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Military trucks carrying missiles passed a portrait of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the annual military parade. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department about the lack of U.S. military response to the Katyusha rockets fired at the base.
Before the latest attack in Syria, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “The attack by Iranian-backed militias on U.S. troops stationed at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq marks a dangerous escalation and illustrates Iran’s destabilizing role in the region. As President Biden has made clear, we will not hesitate to protect our people and hold accountable all who harm U.S. personnel.”
Pentagon deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh said Thursday about the attack, “Two rockets fired by suspected Iranian-backed Shiite militias struck Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. The third rocket was intercepted before it could hit the base. How the rocket got through to the base will be investigated by Central Command, and is currently under investigation. We want to ensure that this never happens again.”
Four military personnel and one contractor were wounded in Monday’s attack, a Defense Department spokesman said.
Iran’s reaction is expected to reach beyond the Middle East: Robert Greenway
U.S. soldiers prepare to depart on a patrol from a remote combat outpost in northeastern Syria, May 25, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Joel Rubin, a former senior State Department official during the Obama administration, defended Biden’s policy, telling Fox News Digital: “The president has made it clear to Iran that any military action against Israel will face severe consequences. He is sending additional military vessels to the region and working diplomatically to ensure Iran understands this and build a deterrent. The crisis is not yet fully over, but it is clear Iran is pondering its next steps.”
Iran’s main proxies in the Middle East are the Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement, Hamas and the Houthi movement in Yemen. The Islamic Republic has used decades of huge oil and gas profits to export its revolutionary Islamist ideology to Middle Eastern countries and the West, including the United States. US intelligence has revealed that Iran has incited anti-Israel protests on university campuses, threatened to assassinate President Trump and meddled in the presidential elections.
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A mural of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on March 8, 2020. (Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
Iran has been listed as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism by the US government since 1984. Islamic extremists seized power in Tehran in 1979 and declared America the “Great Satan.” Iranian Islamists are also fond of shouting “Death to America” at mass rallies and in parliament.
Fox News Digital reported in February that an Iranian-made drone fired by a Tehran-backed militia in Iraq killed three US soldiers in Jordan.
Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
