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Blinken Says U.S. Not Responsible for Ismail Haniyeh Killing. That's Too Bad

(National Security Journal) Dr. Michael Rubin - Secretary of State Antony Blinken took to television to deny any American responsibility for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, in Tehran. That is nothing about which to be proud. Blinken may see such a statement as a way to prevent Iran and Hamas from going after American targets. The problem is that Iran and Hamas already target Americans. The Iranian government quite openly has put bounties on former government officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Iran point man Brian Hook and has sought to kidnap Iranian and Iranian American dissidents from American soil. Showing weakness in the face of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps outrage does not bring security; it encourages aggression. Nor should targeting terror leaders be something from which the U.S. shies away. The U.S. first designated Hamas almost three decades ago, because Hamas killed not only Israelis but also Americans. It targeted children and civilians. It specialized in bombing civilian buses, markets, and restaurants. Its covenant openly embraced genocide. For decades, the U.S. did not shy away from targeting terrorists. President George W. Bush killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a man responsible for dozens of American and hundreds, if not thousands, of Iraqi deaths. President Barack Obama (over Vice President Biden's advice) eliminated Osama Bin Laden. President Donald Trump eliminated Iranian Quds Force Chief Qassem Soleimani. Why should anyone be embarrassed about killing Haniyeh? The reluctance to strike terrorists on Iranian territory only shows that the White House and State Department fail to understand the Iranian regime's commitment to its own ideology. Blinken's statement was an expression of weakness that further diminishes the U.S. in the eyes of its enemies. The only unfortunate aspect of Haniyeh's demise was that Israel beat the U.S. to it. The writer is director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
2024-08-04 00:00:00
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