Sen. Menendez Of NJ Seeks More Info About Biden-Ordered Airstrike

NEW JERSEY — “The United States must always take decisive action to protect our personnel and interests against attacks.” This was the message from Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey after U.S. military forces carried out a series of airstrikes near the Iraq-Syria border on Sunday at the direction of President Joe Biden.

The “defensive precision airstrikes” were launched against three operational and weapons storage facilities allegedly used by Iran-backed militia groups, which have engaged in drone attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq, the Pentagon said Sunday.

About 2,500 U.S. troops are in the nation as part of a global coalition supporting local security forces, the BBC reported.

Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement about the airstrikes:

“The United States must always take decisive action to protect our personnel and interests against attacks. I will be seeking more information from the administration in the coming days regarding what specifically predicated these strikes, any imminent threats they believed they were acting against, and more details on the legal authority the administration relied upon. Congress has the power to authorize the use of military force and declarations of war, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is planning to hear from the administration more on these strikes, as well as have a broader discussion on the 2002 AUMF when we return to Washington, D.C.”

Menendez continued:

“Over the past year, Iranian-backed militia groups have increasingly targeted U.S. persons and assets, including killing Americans and coalition forces earlier this year and hitting close to the new U.S. Consulate site in Erbil over this weekend. The United States must continue to work with Iraqi Prime Minister Khadimi through the framework of the U.S.-Iraqi strategic dialogue in support of a stable, inclusive and independent Iraq. Moreover, I continue to urge the administration to implement a comprehensive strategy towards Iran that addresses all its dangerous behavior, including ongoing attacks against the United States in Iraq and actions that undermine the Iraqi government.”

Sunday's airstrikes are the latest U.S. operation in the region. They follow Biden's first known military action in February – an airstrike against a compound in Syria, Fox News reported.

“Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. interests in Iraq, the president directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said about last weekend’s airstrikes.

“We are in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq for the sole purpose of assisting the Iraqi Security Forces in their efforts to defeat ISIS,” Kirby said. “The United States took necessary, appropriate and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation – but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message.”

• See related article: U.S. Airstrikes Target Iran-Backed Militias In Syria, Iraq

At least four Iran-backed militia fighters in Iraq and Syria were killed, Iraqi militia said. An Iran-backed Shia militia group in Iraq, known as Kataib Hezbollah, said that they will retaliate against the airstrike, CNN reported.

An Iraqi military spokesman condemned the U.S. airstrikes, saying the action represents “a blatant and unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and Iraqi national security in accordance with all international conventions,” CNN reported.

• See related article: U.S. Troops Leaving Afghanistan (5 Things To Know)

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