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U.S. Should Target Iranian Operatives after the Killing of U.S. Troops

(Washington Post) Max Boot - Since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Iranian-backed militias have escalated their attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria who are assisting with continuing operations against the Islamic State. There were at least 160 such attacks in less than four months involving drones and rockets. About 70 U.S. personnel had been wounded. On Sunday, an exploding drone hit a U.S. outpost in Jordanian territory, killing three U.S. military personnel and injuring more than 30. Clearly the deaths of U.S. service members necessitates a greater response than what the U.S. has so far done with limited airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias. It's clear that the Biden administration needs to do more than it has been doing in pushing back against Iran's aggression. It's clearly time to show Iran that it cannot kill U.S. troops with impunity. Tehran won't care if the U.S. targets more militia members or even militia leaders; from the Iranian perspective, they are expendable. To get Iran's attention, the U.S. needs to target Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force personnel in Yemen, Iraq, Syria or Lebanon, beginning with Quds Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Qasem Soleimani's successor, Brig.-Gen. Ismail Qaani. In addition, the Biden administration should do more to target the Iranian economy with sanctions. When Biden came into office, he relaxed sanctions enforcement in the hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear accord. But the nuclear deal remains dead, so there is no good reason not to continue to ratchet up sanctions on Iran. Iran's escalating aggression makes the case for an economic crackdown.
2024-01-29 00:00:00
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