On Sunday, America lost three of its finest after months of strikes on U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Three U.S. service members were killed and over 30 injured in a drone strike on a military base in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, according to U.S. Central Command. The attack marks the first American combat deaths amid months of strikes on U.S. forces across the Middle East.
The drone slammed into living quarters at Tower 22 base around midnight. U.S. officials believe the drone was fired by Iran-backed militias operating in Syria and Iraq.
The event has invoked the fury of many Republican lawmakers toward Iran, who enabled the attack via Tehran’s support of regional militias.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on X, “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard,” asserting that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s attempts at deterrence have “failed miserably.” Graham said, “The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force” and advocated for strikes inside Iran itself as retaliation and future deterrence.
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Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas simply wrote on X: “Target Tehran.”
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas issued a scathing statement on Sunday condemning the Biden administration’s “appeasing” of Iran.
Cotton blamed President Biden’s “tolerating attacks on our troops” and “bribing the ayatollahs” through sanctions relief for enabling the strike.
“He left our troops as sitting ducks, and now three are dead and dozens wounded, sadly as I’ve predicted would happen for months,” Cotton wrote.
Will the United States go to war with Iran?
“The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” Cotton asserted. He described anything less than a major counterattack as confirming Biden as “a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief.”
Cotton’s words ring true about Biden’s weakness and strategy of bribery, tolerance and appeasement.
Saying “don’t” as a strategy does not work on three-year-olds, and it clearly has not worked on Iran.
Gee, I wonder why these warnings to Iran didn’t work: pic.twitter.com/6BqvI4jI6L
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 28, 2024
RNC Research posted a video from 16 days before the attack when Biden was asked what his message to Iran was.
Biden responded, “I’ve already delivered the message to Iran. They know not to do anything.”
Clearly, they did not get the message.
BIDEN (16 days ago): “I’ve already delivered the message to Iran. They know not to do anything.”
Iran-backed terrorists just killed three U.S. service members and wounded dozens of others. pic.twitter.com/6VXFxSeawD
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 28, 2024
In response to the drone strikes, Biden, who was in South Carolina on Sunday said, “We will respond.”
A Confused and Mumbling Joe Biden in Columbia, South Carolina Reads Psalm 21, and Talks About the Kamikaze Drone Attack in Jordan that Killed 3 U.S. Soldiers and Injured 34. A Weak Joe Biden Says We Will Respond. pic.twitter.com/6y0SceuIPq
— Tony Kambeitz (@Kambeitz9) January 28, 2024
Former President Trump posted his profound sympathies and called for prayer in a statement on Truth Social, “This brazen attack on the United States is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender….” he wrote.
America’s aura of military strength used to cast a shadow long enough to hold bad actors like Iran at bay.
But the situation has changed dramatically.
The three killed this week will likely not be the last unless America sends a clear message, as our enemies smell weakness in our leadership.
Preventing further tragedy abroad mandates reasserting American might.
Unfortunately, the image of a barely audible Joe Biden muttering, “We will respond,” does not garner much hope.
