Several Republican members of Congress have spoken out on the drone attack that killed three American military personnel and wounded 25 others at an outpost in Jordan overnight. The White House has laid the blame on Iranian-backed militias.
There have been over 158 attacks on US forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since the Israel-Hamas war began. According to the Department of Defense, about 70 US military personnel have been injured. The injuries have all been classified as "minor" except for one soldier critically wounded on Christmas Day. This is the first time US troops have been killed in the area since 2021.
Politico, framing the issue as Republican "hawks," gives a rundown of who has called for military retaliation against Iran.
The senators listed are Mitch McConnell, Kentucky; Roger Wicker, Mississippi; Lindsey Graham, South Carolina; Tom Cotton, Arkansas; and John Cornyn, Texas. I've added Katie Boyd Britt of Alabama, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Maggie Hasan of New Hampshire, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Tim Scott of South Carolina to that list.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Mike Rogers of Alabama are among House members who have demanded action.
RedState has covered these constant attacks on US troops by Iranian proxy forces and the reluctance of the Biden national security team to take them seriously.
BACKGROUND:
New Drone Attacks on US Forces in Syria, Iranian Proxies Claim Responsibility
American Forces Attacked by Iranian Proxies 84 Times in 52 Days and Biden Does Nothing
Escalation from Iranian 'Proxies': Missiles Fired at US Forces in Iraq, Two Americans Injured
Disgusting: Kirby Downplays Injuries to American Military in Iraq, As Attacks Continue
Of course, there are those on the right who seem to be indifferent to Iran trying to kill our military personnel.
Fucking lunatics. pic.twitter.com/cI2FDp0eXF
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 28, 2024
Even Donald Trump doesn't say retaliation is warranted.
Trump on killed U.S. troops:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 28, 2024
Three years ago, Iran was weak, broke, and totally under control.
Our country cannot survive with Joe Biden as Commander in Chief. pic.twitter.com/UuBCTHROKV
You don't have to be a "hawk" to understand that the only way the gratuitous attacks on US troops in Iraq, Syria, and now Jordan stop is by inflicting pain on the puppetmaster. That would be the Tehran regime. I don't know that literally bombing Tehran would serve the purpose as much as hitting the intelligence, domestic security, and military headquarters that repress the Iranian people and train and supply the militias doing the shooting. In fact, you don't even have to agree that we should have troops in those countries to acknowledge we owe them our protection once we've sent them there.
For his entire term in office, Biden has treated Iran with kid gloves and has populated his national security bureaucracy with people who believe some sort of a "grand bargain" with Iran is possible. A bargain where we subsidize Iran's rise to regional superpower...I forget why that is supposed to be a good idea, but I'm sure Jake Sullivan and his collection of high-functioning f***wits can probably explain everything.
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