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The Long Battle with Iran

(New York Times) Ryan C. Crocker - As a young Foreign Service officer who survived the 1983 bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut, I saw how Iran succeeded in forcing the U.S. to withdraw its forces from Lebanon through terrorism. Later, as ambassador in Lebanon, I helped load the remains of two Americans killed by Hizbullah - the Beirut CIA station chief William Buckley, and Marine Lt.-Col. William Higgins - on a helicopter in 1991. In Syria, as ambassador from 1998 to 2001, I witnessed the coordination between Syria and Iran in support of Hizbullah. As ambassador to Iraq years later, I stood at ceremonies honoring our service members killed by Shiite militias supported by Gen. Suleimani. So when his death was confirmed, it was a moment of quiet satisfaction for me: A formidable enemy of the U.S. was gone, and he will not be easily replaced. The writer is a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
2020-01-06 00:00:00
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