The Pentagon Finally Admits to Dozens of U.S. Casualties amid Iran-Backed Attacks Noah Rothman
Israel isn’t the only target.
In the 18 days since the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas murdered over 1,400 people, the network of terrorist proxies aligned with the Islamic Republic that populate the Middle East have taken similar aim at U.S. forces throughout the region. U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria have come under at least 13 drone and missile attacks. Last week, the Iran-aligned Houthi militia fired off a fusillade of rockets and unmanned vehicles “potentially headed for Israel” that were intercepted by an American Navy destroyer in the Red Sea.
And yet, the U.S. emerged from these attacks relatively unscathed. At least, that’s what the silence from Joe Biden’s Defense Department regarding the fallout from these attacks implied.
On October 18, the Pentagon revealed that one American contractor in Iraq died after experiencing a cardiac event while trying to seek shelter from an incoming rocket attack, which turned out to be a false alarm. The following day, a Defense Department spokesman acknowledged the “uptick” in attacks from Iran’s Shiite militia groups, but assured reporters that there was “no direct linkage” between their activities and Israel’s war with another Iran-backed terrorist entity.
When asked about casualty figures, the Pentagon could only say with confidence that no civilians were injured in the attacks. As for U.S. service personnel, the “numbers” were “all over the map” and therefore unreliable. “That’s another aspect that we’re looking at right now,” Brigadier General Pat Ryder assured reporters on October 19.
This week, the Pentagon finally got its hands around the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Middle East, and its assessment is shocking. At least 24 U.S. troops were wounded in the attacks on American positions in the Middle East, Defense officials admitted on Tuesday. Most of those are classified as “minor injuries,” but they nonetheless jeopardize the readiness of America’s forward positions. Moreover, the Pentagon expects these figures will rise in the coming days. “What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel across the region in the very near-term coming from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran,” Ryder advised. The Defense Department is “preparing for this escalation” and for the eventual prospect of “responding decisively.”
As this comment suggests, the attacks will continue unless and until the president summons the courage to react to them. As I wrote on Monday, the conditions the U.S. is confronting in the Middle East are similar to those that prevailed in 2019. Deterrence was not restored until Iranian assets were directly targeted in an American retaliatory response. There’s a lesson there for the Biden administration. For now, however, the White House appears paralyzed by its fear that responding to attacks on U.S. forces risks sparking a wider regional conflict — the existence of an already ongoing wider regional conflict notwithstanding.
In the interim, America’s uniformed service personnel are apparently expected to serve as stationary targets that Iran’s terrorist networks can harass at their leisure. Joe Biden likes to close his speeches with a solemn invocation: “May God protect our troops.” We had better hope the almighty will do just that. So far, the president doesn’t seem inclined to take up the charge.
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