Critics took aim at President Biden’s Middle East policy after three Americans service members were killed in an attack on a base in Jordan near the border with Syria.
“Hit Iran now,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement after the Sunday attack. “Hit them hard.”
Graham’s comment comes after three U.S. service members were killed and 25 more were injured in a drone attack on northeast Jordan that sits close to the border with Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.
“On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack UAS that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border. As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “Updates will be provided as they become available.”
3 AMERICAN TROOPS KILLED, 25 INJURED IN ATTACK ON JORDAN BASE NEAR SYRIA BORDER
President Biden (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden was briefed on the matter by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, according to the White House, with Biden blaming “radical Iran-backed militant groups” for the attack.
“Today, America’s heart is heavy. Last night, three U.S. service members were killed – and many wounded – during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border,” Biden said in a statement. “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
But Graham said the administration’s response to escalating threats in the Middle East has not worked to deter Iran.
“When the Biden Administration says ‘don’t’, the Iranians ‘do’. The Biden Administration’s rhetoric is falling on deaf ears in Iran. Their policy of deterrence against Iran has failed miserably. There have been over 100 attacks against U.S. forces in the region. Iran is undeterred,” Graham said in the statement, adding that he also sends his “condolences to the families of our fallen heroes in Jordan.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Graham’s sentiment was shared by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, a former national security adviser in the Trump administration, who said in an appearance on “Fox News Live” that the administration must “go up what’s called the escalation ladder.”
“All of these attacks on American forces in the Middle East. Be it Houthis, be it Hezbollah, be it anybody else, they’re Iranian-backed. And this administration has pulled its punches, and it can’t do that anymore. It has to make a hard strike,” Kellogg said.
Kellogg added that Biden has an opportunity to make a strong statement and that both the Iranians and allies around the world will be watching how the U.S. reacts.
“They’re watching our response, and they’re going to kick off our response. That’s the reason I was very concerned about normalization because it kind of accepted everything,” Kellogg said. “So, they knew they could push and they push hard. They’re going to see what our response is going to be. And if it is not a strong response, we’re just open up, opening up ourselves to further aggression by the Iranians or anybody else in the region.”
The criticisms come just two weeks after Biden said he had sent a clear message to Iran “not to do anything.”
“I’ve already delivered the message to Iran,” the president told reporters. “They know not to do anything.”
But Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., questioned that outlook in the wake of the attack, saying in a statement that Biden has “emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end.”
A picture taken during a tour organized by the Jordanian army shows soldiers patrolling the border with Syria to prevent trafficking on Feb. 17, 2022. (Khalil Mazraawi/afp/AFP via Getty Images)
“He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded, sadly, as I’ve predicted would happen for months,” Cotton wrote. “The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East. Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for a “major reset” of the administration’s Middle East policy.
“Iran’s proxies have launched over 150 attacks on US troops since October, as the Iran-backed Houthis attack global shipping, and Iran-backed Hezbollah and Hamas attack our ally Israel,” McCaul said in a statement. “The Biden administration’s failed Middle East policy has destroyed our deterrence against adversaries in the Middle East. We need a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests and restore deterrence.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.