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Attack on U.S. Troops Needs a Rapid Response and Long-Term Follow-Through

(Washington Post) Editorial - The U.S. must strike back at the authors of a drone attack against a U.S. military outpost in northeastern Jordan, which killed three U.S. Army reservists and wounded more than 40 others. Devastating retaliation is imperative for several reasons: to mete out justice for the fallen U.S. troops, to reduce the military capability of Iranian-backed militias that conducted the attack - and to deter those groups from trying again. A tough response is needed to send a signal of support for the base's host nation, Jordan, whose sovereignty was blatantly violated. We assume President Biden is planning such a response. Perhaps most important, the Biden administration needs to rethink strategy on Iran generally, now that it is clear that previous attempts to engage with the Islamic republic via negotiations to contain its nuclear program have hit a dead end. The Iranians have aligned themselves firmly with Russia in an apparent effort to help Moscow wage its war in Ukraine. Always in the background are the nuclear program and the possibility that any restraint the Islamic republic shows with respect to today's battles might be intended to buy time for an ultimate breakthrough on atomic weapons.
2024-02-01 00:00:00
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