February 27th – Comprehensive report: On the 25th local time, U.S. President Biden ordered the U.S. military to launch air strikes on many facilities of Iranian-backed militias in Syria, killing at least 22 people so far.
Biden also warned Iran to be “careful” on the 26th. In addition, the air strike was criticized and condemned by some bipartisan lawmakers in the United States.
Biden warns Iran: You should be “careful”
The U.S. Department of Defense released a message on the 25th that at Biden’s order, the U.S. military launched air strikes on targets of Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria on the same day.
The U.S. Department of Defense pointed out that the air strike killed 22 militia members in response to a series of rocket attacks on the U.S. military in Iraq.
The Pentagon said that the air strikes in Syria were mainly aimed at combat infrastructure to prevent future attacks, rather than causing heavy casualties.
Syria and Iran condemned the U.S. air strike.
On the 26th local time, the White House pointed out that the air strikes launched by the United States in eastern Syria sent a “clear message”.
White House Press Secretary Psaki said President Biden “has a clear message that he will take action to protect the American people and that when the threat appears, he has the right to act at that time and choose the way he acts.”
Pushaki said the airstrike was a “prudential” decision, and Biden’s move was aimed at “easing activities in Syria and Iraq”.
Meanwhile, Biden said on his way to Houston on the 26th that the U.S. air strike was a warning.
Asked what message he wanted to convey to Iran, he said: “You can’t get away with it. Be careful.
On February 15, Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region (Ku District), was attacked by several rockets. A U.S. military-led anti-extremist group Islamic State was hit near the International League of Nations site, killing an employee of an international coalition contractor and injuring many others.
The Shiite militia armed “Blood Guard Brigade” announced that the attack had been carried out. This week, Iran said it had no connection with the organization.
Members of the U.S. Congress will criticize and question the air raid.
On the other hand, Biden’s decision to order an air strike was criticized by members of the U.S. Congress from both parties, who questioned Biden’s lack of authority to carry out the action.
In a written statement, Senator Kane, a Democratic senator and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that Americans should understand the “reasonableness” of air strikes and “there is no legal reason to request congressional approval”.
“Offensive military operations without congressional approval are not constitutionally exempted exceptional circumstances,” Kane said.
And Murphy, a Democratic senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for Asia, also said in a statement: “There is no doubt that the president has the right to defend our country and our troops from imminent attacks.”
However, he believes that “such retaliatory air strikes are unnecessary to prevent imminent threats and must meet the existing military mandate of Congress.”
Murphy said that Congress should require the government to show “clear legal basis for military action”, as in the past.
But a spokesman for the National Security Council argued that the White House “has undergone strict procedures, including legal review of air strikes.”
The spokesman said that the air strikes are “a necessary measure to deal with the threat and are equivalent to previous attacks” and are in line with the right to self-defence under international law.
“Complete legal process and scrutiny have been done beforehand,” Pusaki also stressed in the face of the MP criticizing Biden for seeking relevant questions about congressional authorization before ordering an attack.
