House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is urging President Biden to release any existing holds on U.S. lethal aid to Israel and to speed up the release of previously withheld aid, hours after an attack on an American military base in Iraq.
“After repeated attacks on American troops in the region, and while Israel is under threat from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, the U.S. cannot hesitate to defend our service members and our ally,” Johnson said Tuesday morning.
“Any attack by Iran against Israel or American interests would be unjustified and met with decisive force. America and our allies and partners in the region should work together to strongly counter Iran and its terror proxies to send a clear message against these malign activities.”
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Johnson suggested aggression from Tehran was due to “a months-long pressure campaign against Israel from the Biden-Harris administration.”
“Now is the time for the White House to realize their choices have brought us to the brink of disaster and give full-throated support to Israel. President Biden must immediately release all previously withheld and delayed weapons to Israel — so it can defend its people and deter Iran — and make clear that there will be decisive economic, military and international ramifications should Iran engage in or support any attacks,” the Louisiana Republican said.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett told Fox News Digital in response, “President Biden has been clear on many occasions that our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering. Since the horrific attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, we have worked to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself. President Biden made the historic decision to direct the U.S. military to defend Israel in April when Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in an unprecedented attack and stand ready to support the defense of Israel should it be attacked again.”
It comes after an Iran-backed militia fired rockets at al-Asad Airbase in Iraq Monday, injuring several U.S. personnel members, two defense officials told Fox News.
Tensions in the Middle East are threatening to reach a fever pitch after Iran threatened an imminent attack over the suspected Israeli assassination of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in the capital city of Tehran last month.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed the attack on the Iraqi air base in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant agreed that today’s Iran-aligned militia attack on U.S. forces stationed at al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region. Secretary Austin provided an update on measures to strengthen U.S. military posture in the region in light of this escalating situation,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Monday.
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Meanwhile, Biden’s Republican critics have accused him of helping raise tensions in the Middle East by not sufficiently backing Israel, the closest ally of the U.S. in the region, as it conducts an invasion of Gaza with a stated purpose of eradicating Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Biden administration in June of withholding critical lethal aid to his military.
The administration paused a shipment of bombs to Israel in May, according to reports, and Biden threatened to withhold more days later during an interview with CNN.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem,” Biden said.
As of late last month, the U.S. was still withholding a 2,000-pound bomb shipment to Israel, Ryder said during a Pentagon press briefing.
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