Secretary of Defense Warns of Attacks on Americans
The conflict in the Middle East rages on, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that Americans could be targets of attack in the region. Iran also recently met with a Hamas official to speak of the possibility of the conflict mushrooming even further – which would endanger American service members and personnel in the area.
The AP reports:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the United States expects the Israel-Hamas war to escalate through involvement by proxies of Iran, and they asserted that the Biden administration is prepared to respond if American personnel or armed forces become the target of any such hostilities.
“This is not what we want, not what we’re looking for. We don’t want escalation,” Blinken said. “We don’t want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire. But if that happens, we’re ready for it.”
Austin, echoing Blinken, said “what we’re seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region.”
He said the U.S. has the right to self-defense “and we won’t hesitate to take the appropriate action.”
I hope the Administration keeps its promise to protect American lives during this turbulent time. American troops and personnel in the Middle East deserve our full support.
In its efforts to tamp down the continuing escalation in the Middle East, the Biden Administration also recently pressured Israel not to start its imminent incursion into Gaza because hostage negotiations are ongoing.
Hamas released two U.S. hostages over the weekend, but don’t let this change your mind about Hamas terrorists. They are only working out of self-preservation right now to get sympathy on their side. Don’t forget that they still have over 200 other hostages who they are willing to kill or use as ransom pawns – the Hamas terrorists are ruthless killers who must be rooted out of Gaza.
ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Ric Grenell joined the show to discuss the Biden Administration’s pressuring Israel to delay its incursion:
It’s really important for the Americans to realize that when you have a terrorist attack against a country like Israel, Israel has to be able to respond. It seems crazy that somehow, we’re trying to tell them their own strategy. . . . The Biden Administration needs to concentrate on our hostages – get our hostages home. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we tell Israel not to do its strategy. It means that we go in diplomatically and get our hostages back.
Grenell is right. The Biden Administration must get out of the way and let Israel do what’s necessary to defeat Hamas.
In the meantime, Biden needs to get our hostages freed. We know firsthand how President Trump negotiated with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to free Pastor Brunson, putting strong pressure on Turkey until Pastor Brunson was released. Trump displayed leadership on the world stage – President Biden must do the same.
Unfortunately, back in America, we are losing the ability to govern as the Middle East conflict continues to intensify to dangerous levels. The lack of a Speaker of the House is a serious problem and keeps Congress stagnated.
What happens if Iran does something on a level we’ve never seen before? (And the chances of this happening are exponentially high – according to our sources in Israel.) Or what if the war in Ukraine takes a turn for the worse?
If the U.S. can’t get its own House in order, how can we properly help our allies? The Republicans must unite and elect a Speaker so Congress can do its job. The House has the power of the purse, so we must ensure our troops and allies get the necessary supplies.
Here’s our message to the Republicans in Congress: Do your job. Pick a Speaker NOW.
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Today’s Sekulow broadcast also featured ACLJ Senior Counsel and Director of Policy Harry Hutchison, who explained the rising radicalism of pro-Palestinian support on college campuses, the ACLJ’s latest efforts to preserve pro-life legislation in the state of Idaho, and the ACLJ’s ongoing litigation to stop the radical Left from twisting the 14th Amendment to deny voters the right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Watch the full broadcast below: