Defense officials told numerous corporate media outlets that the strike was meant to incapacitate the militia and prevent them from carrying out future attacks. They also claimed the strike was a defensive response to multiple recent attacks in Iraq, which threatened American lives.
“These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel. … The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel. … At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement. Kirby also said the action was meant to “de-escalate the overall situation in both Eastern Syria and Iraq.”
JUST IN from @PentagonPresSec Kirby:
“At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria.” pic.twitter.com/1NgX4sYDhg
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Friday that he was the one who recommended the airstrike to Biden.
“I’m confident in the target that we went after, we know what we hit,” Austin said, noting, “We’re confident that that target was being used by the same Shia militants that conducted the strikes” in February in Iraq, injuring a U.S. service member and other coalition personnel and killing a civilian contractor.
Despite the high-profile nature of the strike and the implications it has for Biden and the United States just one month into the new president’s term, some corporate media outlets brushed off prioritizing the issue.
Joe Biden bombed Syria last night, and this is Politico’s front page this am. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/mH3sYni4pH
In 2017, White House press secretary Jen Psaki condemned former President Donald Trump’s attacks on Syria, saying he did not have “legal authority” for any airstrikes.
I condemn meddling in Syria’s civil war. I also condemn attacking a sovereign nation without authority.
What authority does @POTUS have to strike Syria?
Perhaps someone should ask his @PressSec today? https://t.co/nLxbZNLx4J
Just last year, Biden also criticized Trump numerous times for taking action against Iran and terrorist Quds force leader Qasem Soleimani without congressional approval.
“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump does not have the authority to take us into war with Iran without Congressional approval. A president should never take this nation to war without the informed consent of the American people,” Biden wrote on Twitter.
Corporate media such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and MSNBC also mischaracterized Trump’s decision to take out Soleimani as an “assassination,” labeling the terrorist a “revered military figure,” and hysterically hinting that the next world war was fast approaching. Some outlets even echoed talking points from Iranian propagandists in their coverage.
Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.
Photo White House Flickr/Photo
Foreign Policy Iran Joe Biden Middle East Qasem Soleimani Syria
Original Story: After Just One Month In Office, Biden Orders Airstrike In Syria