The United States faced yet another foreign embarrassment on Sunday, January 28, 2024. A drone attack that U.S. defense officials have linked to Tehran struck three troops dead, leaving dozens injured.
The attack is another reminder of President Biden’s lackluster showing on the international scene. A chief example is the disastrous pullback of troops from Afghanistan in 2021. The sloppy evacuation of U.S. citizens took the lives of thirteen service members. This recent drone attack is pretty similar.
A low-flying drone flew into the military base in the deserts of Jordan. A report of the incident disclosed that the troops mistook the drone for a friendly aircraft and made no attempt at shooting it down. The strike hit a trailer where troops were resting in, while other trailers suffered from the impact of the strike and flying debris.
Political watchers say the U.S.’s enemies have become more emboldened since Biden took office. From the Taliban to the Iranian government, the United States seems to have lost some respect among its foes.
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To restore the nation’s dignity, Republicans are advocating retaliation. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, one of the most vocal voices, maintained that the tragedy was avoidable.
Scalise also blamed Biden for the incident. “For years now, Biden has emboldened Iran-sending them billions and & tolerating their aggression against our troops,” he wrote on his social media account. “America must show strength,” he stated.
Another top-ranking Republican senator, Lindsay Graham, didn’t mince words. “I am calling on the Biden administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran,” he said. “…not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against further aggression.”
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Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton had similar views. “The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” he said.
He emphasized the need to show Iran that the United States won’t tolerate unwarranted aggression. “Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief,” he declared.
The White House has responded to the calls for retaliation. Andrew Bates, its spokesperson, told the public to disregard them. He referred to them as “attempts by far-right congressional Republicans to politicize our national security.”
Bates implied that the lawmakers were dishonest and applied double standards. “In fact, these Republican officials never criticized the previous administration when the same militias attacked American troops, including in 2020,” he recalled.
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Reports indicate that Biden has had a good look at the retaliation alternative but doesn’t think it is a good move at the moment. Biden doesn’t want to give Iran a good reason to get involved in the war between Israel and Hamas. Any attack on Iran will worsen the situation of the already volatile region.
But in contrast, the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had threatened military action against Iran the day after the attack. He made the statement at the Pentagon just before a meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary-General. Political analysts are keeping their fingers crossed.
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