The Biden administration is emboldening Iran! Iranian proxies and militants who benefit from unending attacks on Israel once again launched a campaign of indiscriminate rocket and missile attacks on Israeli cities. These attacks are aimed not at the Israeli military, but rather seek to terrorize Israeli civilians including children and the infirm, and it’s no coincidence that they occurred around the 73rd anniversary of Israel declaring independence. The renewal of these attacks has corresponded with the arrival of the Biden administration and their revival of failed Obama administration policies. Biden and his administration again seek to appease Iran while applying moral equivalence to terrorist attacks on Israel with Israeli efforts to defeat and deter these terrorist attacks.
During my time in the Trump administration, we witnessed the United States broker peace deals that strengthened Israel’s security while also continuing to provide for their right to a strong national defense. If I am elected to Congress, I will stand firmly with our ally in Israel. As a nation, we must continue to support Israel’s Arrow, David Sling and Iron Dome programs. Congress must renew our annual security assistance – with no cuts!
In recent weeks, by entertaining calls to impose a ceasefire on Israel, the Biden administration’s approach invites continued attacks on Israel and it emboldens Iran and its proxies. The Israelis have been attacked by swarms of rockets and missiles from caches cynically located in Gaza and West Bank schools, hospitals and apartment buildings. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has used precision air and artillery strikes where possible to destroy sites from which these attacks originate. However, to root out attacks coming from schools, hospitals and apartment buildings, the Israelis must be free to use ground forces to destroy rocket and missile sites without killing countless Palestinians behind which militants hide.
What we just witnessed was without a doubt an attempt by the Iranian-backed Hamas to overwhelm and deplete the Iron Dome. Thousands of missiles were fired from Gaza in an attempt to saturate the defense system and create mass-casualty events. We need leaders in Washington that understand the threat, have been in the briefings, and won’t wait to speak up until a foreign nation like Egypt does.
Israel stands between terrorists and its citizens, Hamas hides behind their citizens, and the United States must stand with Israel and against Iran and its militant proxies. The Biden administration must not impose solutions on Israel that preclude Israel from mounting effective self-defense actions. Such a tried and failed approach will invite more attacks on Israel, undermine Israel’s defense capacity, and embolden Iran.
When I was at the Pentagon we were on the right track: with peace through strength, yet with no new wars. It’s time we elect leaders that will get us back to that effective strategy.
Casey Wardynski was President Trump’s Assistant Secretary of the Army. A graduate of West Point, he served in the military for 30 years – beginning at Redstone Arsenal. He is running for Congress in Alabama’s 5th district.
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