President Joe Biden defended the military’s decision to attack two Syria-based sites reportedly used by Iran, declaring the strikes “necessary and proportionate.”
Biden sent a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), president pro tempore of the Senate, Friday evening to inform them of his justification for the Oct. 26 attack on two Syria-based sites that are reportedly connected to Iran.
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The two sites were allegedly affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes were carried out by a pair of F-16 aircraft. They were approved by Biden and were targeting a “weapons storage area” and “ammunition storage area,” according to military officials. The letter was filed as part of Biden’s compliance with the War Powers Resolution of the Constitution, which determines the specific powers that the President and Congress have over declarations of war.
“The United States took this necessary and proportionate action consistent with international law and in the exercise of the United States’ inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” Biden wrote. “The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks.”
U.S. forces were attacked 19 times between Oct. 17 and Oct. 26 at al Asad Air Base in Iraq and the al Tanf garrison in Syria by a mixture of one-way attack drones and rockets, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday. Twenty-one U.S. service members were injured during the attacks but returned to duty afterward. Seventeen troops were injured at al Tanf, 15 of whom were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, and four service members at Al Asad Air Base suffered a traumatic brain injury. A U.S. contractor died after suffering cardiac arrest when an early warning system detected another threat, sending people to scramble for shelter.
“Let’s be clear, Iran is responsible,” a senior defense official told reporters. “I want to emphasize that the United States does not seek conflict, nor do we desire further hostilities. However, the Iran-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must cease. We are prepared to take further measures to protect our people if necessary.”
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The U.S. did not inform the Israelis of the strikes preemptively, the senior defense official said.
National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Thursday that “there was a direct message relayed” to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
