Biden orders airstrikes in Syria, retaliating against Iran-backed militias

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered airstrikes on buildings in Syria that the Pentagon said were used by Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for rocket attacks on U.S. targets in neighboring Iraq.


The strikes killed at least 22 people, London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday, citing unconfirmed local reports.


Pentagon press secretary John Kirby portrayed the bombing in eastern Syria as carefully calibrated, calling it “proportionate” and “defensive.”


The operation was the first known use of military force by the Biden administration, which has for weeks emphasized plans to focus more on challenges posed by China.


The president’s decision appeared aimed at sending a signal to Iran and its proxies in the region that Washington would not tolerate attacks on its personnel in Iraq, even at a sensitive diplomatic moment.


MORE Biden orders airstrikes in Syria, retaliating against Iran-backed militias

Shocked I say, shocked...!

Message needed to be sent.

Message received.

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Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Message needed to be sent.

Message received.

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And what was the message? Just curious...

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Originally Posted by Klondyke

And what was the message? Just curious...

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Oh, you didn't read the thread opening post..

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Originally Posted by misskit

The president’s decision appeared aimed at sending a signal to Iran and its proxies in the region that Washington would not tolerate attacks on its personnel in Iraq, even at a sensitive diplomatic moment.

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That's the message

Are there always messages pinned to the bombs at whatever side dropping?

Funnily enough, when I read such tomes as Sun Tzu & von Clausewitz on the 'art of war' I never encountered the 21st century Pentagon strategy of "lose the war and then hang around like a stale fart". Go home yankee, your military presence is not wanted there and your mission was a failure.

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Originally Posted by sabang

I never encountered the 21st century Pentagon strategy of "lose the war and then hang around like a stale fart".

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The US was not at war with Syria so no war to lose.

It was not at war with Cambodia, Laos, Venezuela, Ecuador, Iran & Cuba either, funnily enough. The US is a scary country not to be at war with.

At any rate I am not going to defend US policy in the Middle East. It was doomed to failure from the start. The US military on one hand performed exceptionally well in all cases on the battlefield however on the strategic and civil side the wars have been a complete disaster.

A very reasonable response as long as civilians don't get caught up in it.

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Originally Posted by sabang

It was not at war with Cambodia, Laos, Venezuela, Ecuador, Iran & Cuba either, funnily enough. The US is a scary country not to be at war with.

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So, were they in a war with any country, anyway? (OK, Japan) Why so peaceful?

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Originally Posted by bsnub

exceptionally well in all cases on the battlefield

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Real or gaming?

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Originally Posted by OhOh

Real or gaming?

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Typical stupid comment from OhDOH.

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Originally Posted by Klondyke

So, were they in a war with any country, anyway? (OK, Japan) Why so peaceful?

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"The unpredictable projects onto subtle fulfillment"

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Originally Posted by OhOh

Real or gaming?

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"Greatness imparts reality to subjective space time events"

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Originally Posted by lom

Oh, you didn't read the thread opening post..

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Reading isn't one of his strong points. Neither is writing. Or comprehending. Or making sense.

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Originally Posted by sabang

Funnily enough, when I read such tomes as Sun Tzu & von Clausewitz on the 'art of war'

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Cool, I didn't know they did pop-up and colouring versions.

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Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Message needed to be sent.

Message received.

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How lucky are some that they are not receiving such “messages”...

And is it true that the VP was not happy not to be posted about that? And the POTUS was posted?

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Originally Posted by Klondyke

How lucky are some that they are not receiving such “messages”...

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Knowledge experiences the progressive expansion of neural networks

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Originally Posted by sabang

Sun Tzu & von Clausewitz on the 'art of war'

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von Clausewitz wrote 'On War' and it certainly was/is a tome. Sun Tzu - not so much a tome at less than half the size and literary weight

Any bombardment of Isil terrorists is humanitarian.

^Without having them who with the wars would be fought?

As a wise general once said, the best way to win a war is quickly.

So, let's hope Biden's ROE allow a realistic chance of actually getting the job done, whatever that's supposed to be in light of Russian throwing in with Assad, unlike those imposed by the Saviour. And mission won't be accomplished anyway, we already know that, though they'll find some reason to justify a media victory lap because that's what the people expect and demand. As a side issue which isn't worth a pissing contest, the real mission may be not to deflower Assad but to stretch Putin on multiple fronts by overflowing from Syria toward the Caucasus; if so, we may not have heard the last from the delinquent Turk and pwner of NATOs 4th largest army; not a joke.

Anyway, the US doesn't win wars, it got lucky in 1991 and showed us what's possible by fielding an overwhelming array of weapons representing rest of the world, against a lone and unloved and truly inferior Iraq. Otherwise since WWII the US military has held the moral high ground by doing little more than shift its toys from one embarrassing political cockup to the next.