President Joe Biden notified Congress of a series of attacks carried out against targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday night.
The retaliatory strikes, targeting Iranian proxy forces, followed a drone attack on U.S. personnel earlier in the day, leaving one service member in critical condition and two others injured.
TWELVE DAYS OF WEX-MAS: HOW SERIOUS IS BIDEN ABOUT FIXING THE BORDER IN 2024?
“I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive and to conduct United States foreign relations,” Biden wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-WA) on Wednesday.
He continued, “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. The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks.”
The U.S. has carried out similar strikes as part of a stated deterrent strategy that thus far has not stopped attacks against U.S. troops throughout the Middle East. Biden is also facing growing dissatisfaction within the Democratic Party over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The president has openly supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military action following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks but has begun to distance himself from the unpopular offensive in recent weeks.
Biden has indicated to Democratic fundraisers that the administration is pressuring the Netanyahu government to wind down the fighting in Gaza, arguing that Israel is losing support for the operations both in the U.S. and internationally.
