Biden Under More Pressure To Prevent Iran-Israel War (Worthy News In-Depth)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson demands that U.S. President Joe Biden will release any blocked American lethal aid to Israel after several soldiers were injured in an attack on an American military base in Iraq.
He also wants the Biden administration to speed up releasing previously withheld assistance to the Jewish nation as it prepares for an all-out war with Iran and Tehran’s ally, Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
Seven U.S. personnel were wounded in this week’s rocket attack by Iran-backed militias on the base in Iraq, highlighting concerns about threats to American forces despite diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Iran and Israel.
U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the attack on Ain al-Assad, the main base hosting American forces in Iraq, “marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region.”
Monday’s assault marked the first time in months that American troops in Iraq were wounded and followed a U.S. strike against Iran-backed Iraqi militias last week.
Two rockets hit the air base at about 9 p.m. local time Monday, wounding five US soldiers and two American contractors, the U.S. military said. Two were evacuated from Iraq for further treatment, and all were reported to be in stable condition.
REPEATED ATTACKS
Austin said a preliminary assessment showed that an Iranian-backed Shia militia was behind the attack, but the authorities were still working to identify the group.
Yet Johnson told the Biden administration that “After repeated attacks on American troops in the region, and while Israel is under threat from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, the U.S. cannot hesitate to defend our service members and our ally.”
There are about 2,500 American troops in Iraq and about 900 in Syria, where they have been part of an international coalition fighting the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, U.S. sources say.
Iran-backed militias have launched several rocket and drone strikes against U.S. forces since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, and Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza triggered regional hostilities.
Those attacks had diminished in intensity after the US launched air strikes against Iran-affiliated targets in Syria following an attack on a U.S. base on the border between Jordan and Syria that killed three American soldiers in January.
Yet in comments monitored by Worthy News, Johnson also wrote that “We know the current Iranian aggression, backed by Chinese and Russian interests, comes after a months-long pressure campaign against Israel from the Biden-Harris Administration.”
REALIZING CHOICES
Johnson argued that “Now is the time for the White House to realize their choices have brought us to the brink of disaster and give full-throated support to Israel. President Biden must immediately release all previously withheld and delayed weapons to Israel — so it can defend its people and deter Iran — and make clear that there will be decisive economic, military, and international ramifications should Iran engage in or support any attacks.”
However, he said, “Any attack by Iran against Israel or American interests would be unjustified and met with decisive force. America and our allies and partners in the region should work together to strongly counter Iran and its terror proxies to send a clear message against these malign activities.”
The statement comes in a crucial election year when Vice President Kamala Harris is the presumed Democratic nominee to counter former U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who has expressed unwavering support for Israel.
The Biden administration has denied being weak, confirming that it sent a dozen warships and air carriers to the region and pressure from Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to improve the defense of Israel, Worthy News learned.
The United States sent 12 warships and the aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, to the Middle East in preparation for a possible war between Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iran, and Israel, several sources confirmed.
According to U.S. officials with knowledge about the situation, some 4,000 Marines and sailors are onboard the vessels the U.S. has assembled.
LARGE FLEET
Additionally, the Pentagon has announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which was recently in the Pacific, was moving into the Middle East amid a broader shake-up of the U.S. military’s posture in the region.
With this move, more than a third of the carrier fleet will have been involved at one point or another, observers said.
“We’ve adjusted our military posture to strengthen our force protection,” U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin stressed.
Tehran is also closely watching U.S. General Michael Kurilla’s moves after he arrived in Israel this week to aid the coordination of efforts to deter or defend against an Iranian attack.
In comments seen by Worthy News on Wednesday, White House officials said that Iran “may be reconsidering” a massive attack on Israel due to the growing American military presence in the area.
However, with ongoing clashes, there are fears that these words may be wishful thinking by Biden, the frail and outgoing president who faces the worst Middle East crisis in generations.
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