Republicans are accusing Joe Biden of taking nearly 14 hours to brief Congress on the attack by Iranian proxies that killed an American contractor and injured US troops.
The GOP sources in conversation with NBC Newsbelieve the President has been waiting to bring their attention to the strike – for which he authorized retaliation – to push through changes to a proposed repeal of the AUMF law, which allows him to authorize military force.
The drone strike took place around 6:38 a.m. ET on Thursday. Congress didn’t find out about it until around 8 p.m. that evening, the insiders claimed.
Republicans said they believe the Biden administration wants the Senate to vote on amendments, including those that would interfere with the president’s ability to authorize violence against Iran.
One of the changes cited by the sources was proposed by Senator Dan Sullivan, an Alaskan Republican who many believe will not receive a vote.
It would preserve the President’s ability to “react swiftly and decisively to threats from the Iranian government or its proxies.”
Republicans are accusing President Joe Biden of taking nearly 14 hours to brief Congress on the Iranian proxies’ strike that killed an American contractor and wounded soldiers
They also noted that Central Commander General Michael “Erik” Kurilla addressed the House of Representatives Thursday, aware of the strike but not mentioning it during his testimony.
“Prior to his testimony, General Kurilla was aware of the facts… It would have been inappropriate for him to mention the attack during the hearing, as the families of those killed and wounded had not yet been notified,” a CENTCOM spokesman said in a statement .
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had said he believed Kurilla’s testimony predated the attack, which no longer aligns with CENTCOM’s timeline or statement.
But advisers to both a Republican and a Democrat who supported repealing the AUMF said it was unlikely the delay had anything to do with the bill.
“Biden has responded under the authorities placed at his disposal by Article II of the Constitution, given the government’s public crackdown on Iranian aggression on several occasions in the last year alone in Syria,” the aides told NBC News.
“This reinforces our position that the 1991/2002 AUMFs are not necessary to defend our personnel in the region against such threats,” the aid workers added.
Iranian militants launched another attack on US forces in Syria after President Joe Biden ordered US forces to strike back in a battle against each other in the Middle East.
Speaking in Canada on Friday, President Biden made his first comments on the US airstrike in Syria in retaliation for a drone strike on a coalition base that killed an American contractor and wounded six other Americans, including five military personnel — saying, the country is ready to act “firmly” to protect its people.
GOP aides suggested that Biden delay to allow amendments to a bill repealing the AUMF to go through, including one by Senator Dan Sullivan
But aides from both a Republican and a Democrat who were in favor of repealing the AUMF said the delay in announcing the strike was unlikely to have anything to do with the bill
His comments at the start of a joint news conference in Ottawa with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came after the Pentagon launched an investigation into the drone strike and an air defense system that failed to stop the drone that crashed into the facility.
And it came amid near-simultaneous reports that forces linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched further attacks alignment US forces on Friday, with one attack using a missile and the other using multiple drones. The number of casualties from the last round of attacks was not disclosed.
“Make no mistake, the United States does not seek conflict with Iran — not emphasizing that — but be prepared for us to act vigorously to protect our people,” Biden said Friday.
“That’s exactly what happened last night. We will continue our efforts to counter terrorist threats in the region and our partnerships with Canada and other coalition members to defeat ISIS,” he said.
Referring to “multiple American casualties,” Biden said, “One of our citizens tragically died in this attack.”
President Joe Biden offered condolences to the American contractor killed in Syria and said the US “does not seek conflict with Iran” after ordering an attack on Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-backed sites
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Gen. Pat Ryder, who appeared shortly after Biden’s speech, said the Department of Defense was “assessing” reports of a new missile attack on American forces near gas fields in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria.
According to several reports, the conflict escalated on Friday when Iranian proxies carried out two separate attacks on two US military bases, injuring several soldiers. One of the attacks involved multiple Iranian drones, an official told Fox News, and the other involved a missile attack.
Biden also provided new details about his decision to order military action amid a spate of attacks and counterattacks that have raised fears of an escalating conflict. He said he gave the command aboard Air Force One.
“On yesterday’s flight I spoke to our national security team and ordered an immediate response that US forces conducted a series of crash targets in Syria last night targeting those responsible for protecting our personnel. My heart and deepest condolences go out to the family of the American we lost and I wish those injured a speedy recovery,” he said.
The President said he was “grateful for the professionals of our service members who so skillfully executed this response.”
CNN reported Friday that the latest attack by Iranian-backed proxies near Conoco oil fields resulted in the injury of a US soldier whose condition is now in “stable” condition, according to a US official familiar with the situation. Another attack on the Green Village in eastern Syria with three unmanned aerial vehicles did not result in injuries.
Air Force General Pat Ryder addressed this attack in a press conference. “This morning Iran-backed groups fired 10 rockets targeting coalition forces in the Green Village in northeastern Syria. The attack resulted in no injuries to US or coalition personnel and no damage to US equipment or facilities,” Ryder said.
“Our current assessment is that these missile strikes were carried out by IRGC-affiliated groups, that this missile strike was carried out in retaliation for last night’s attacks,” he said. “Again, they did not cause any damage in the coalition facility. As for future actions, I will not discuss or preview possible future operations other than to say that we always reserve the right to respond appropriately when our forces are threatened.
The Iranian-made drone that killed an American contractor and injured five US soldiers never fired a missile at the US facility where the attack took place and crashed into the facility, the Pentagon said Friday.
The drone was “Iranian in origin,” Ryder told reporters, citing forensic and intelligence analysis as new information was still pouring in about the attack on the facility and the US “precision strikes” that followed.
“As far as I know, she didn’t fire a weapon,” he said when asked if the drone could fire a weapon at the facility or if it crashed.
His comments follow a New York Times report that the base’s main air defense system was not “fully operational” at the time of the attack.
Biden spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a news conference amid reports of another counterattack by militants backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the Pentagon
Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters that an Iranian-made drone crashed into a US facility in Syria, killing a US contractor and injuring five US soldiers
“As far as I know, there was a full visual image in terms of radar,” Ryder said. He said US Central Command will be conducting a review to “take a look at what happens when other types of mitigating measures need to be taken.”
“This is a dangerous part of the world. The work we do is inherently dangerous. That’s why there’s the military and these types of places that mean these types of operations. We have seen missile attacks or attacks for these types of groups in the past.
Ryder has repeatedly pointed to groups backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as behind the attack.
“The fact is that these IRGC back groups carried out this attack and unfortunately one American was killed in the process,” Ryder said.
When asked why there might not have been a way to shoot down the drone, Ryder didn’t directly answer.
“We are taking a variety of measures to protect our employees. But again, it’s an inherently dangerous place. And we’ll look at the details, Ryder said.
He also underscored what the White House said last Friday amid fears of an escalation against a major power in the region.
“We see no conflict or war with Iran. Our focus in Syria is on the lasting defeat of ISIS,” he said.
This comes after the White House said on Friday that the US does not seek conflict with Iran after President Joe Biden launched a retaliatory strike against an American contractor killed in a drone strike in Syria. Activists said the US bombing killed at least four people.
A suspected Iranian-made suicide drone killed a contractor and injured five US soldiers at a maintenance facility at a coalition base near al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria on Thursday.
Biden responded with “precision air strikes” on facilities used by groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing 11 pro-Iranian militants. The Iran-backed fighters responded by firing three rockets Friday morning.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday morning: “We do not seek war with Iran. We are not seeking armed conflict with this country or another war in the region.
According to a US defense official, the US counter-strike was carried out by F-15 fighter jets flying out of Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
The US F-15s attacked three locations, all near Deir el-Zour, a US official said.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby appeared on US morning broadcasts on Friday and was asked on CNN whether the US might consider the recent attacks an “act of war.”
“We do not seek war with Iran. We do not expect armed conflict with this country or another war in the region,” Kirby said.
“We’re trying to protect our mission in Syria, which is about defeating ISIS, and we’re trying to protect our people in our facilities from these Iran-backed groups,” Kirby added.
He could not give any details about the US contractor’s identity, other than that he was an American citizen.
“We’re trying to give the family some time and space to grieve here,” Kirby explained.
Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Kirby said it was clear the Iran-backed group opposes the US presence in the region.
“They don’t want to see the United States presence in Iraq, they don’t want to see it in Syria, and they’re retaliating to limit our ability to pursue ISIS in those two countries to try to force our hand out.” said Kirby.
He also said that the three missile strikes on the US base in the Al-Omar oil field did not cause any damage.
“It’s not uncommon for them to immediately respond with ineffective rocket fire on a retaliatory strike like this, and for the most part those were completely ineffective,” Kirby said. “No one was injured, no US casualties at all.”
“It was kind of an instinctive reaction from these militant groups whenever we do something like this,” he continued. “Nevertheless, we will of course remain vigilant for any other reactions by Iran or its militant groups in Syria, Iraq.”
US Army General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the head of the American military’s Central Command, warned that his forces could launch additional strikes if necessary. “We will always take whatever action is necessary to defend our people, and always respond at a time and place of our choosing.”
President Joe Biden (pictured) ordered the retaliatory strike against an ammunition dump, control building and intelligence gathering point
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III said he authorized the retaliatory strikes at the direction of President Joe Biden