Iran and its terror and militia proxy groups had days to prepare and bunker down for the U.S. retaliatory strikes that began on Friday, prompting criticisms that the Biden administration took too long to act.
Three U.S. soldiers were killed and dozens more injured in an airstrike launched by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the nexus organization for several Iran-backed militant and terror groups, against a military base in Jordan on Sunday. The Biden administration began its first round of retaliatory strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday – nearly a week later – which some critics feel was delayed to give Iran and its proxies time to prepare as part of a larger effort to minimize heightened conflict in the Middle East.
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Simone Ledeen told the Daily Caller News Foundation she believes the delayed response was intentional because the Biden administration doesn’t want to strike Iran and its allies too harshly; the administration has been vocal that it doesn’t want a war with Iran or broader conflict in the Middle East.
“I think it’s a feature of the policy of appeasement this administration has followed since 2021 – allowing both the [Islamic