Syria airstrikes: President Biden protected US personnel, facilities, says White House
Washington: The White House has said that through the airstrikes in Syria, President Joe Biden protected US personnel and facilities, and deterred the risk of additional attacks "over the coming weeks".
On Thursday, airstrikes in Syria targeted facilities belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, reportedly killing one fighter and wounding several others.
The strikes came in the wake of recent attacks on US interests in Iraq, including a rocket attack last week which killed a civilian contractor and injured a US service member and other coalition troops.
"The president is sending an unambiguous message that he's going to act to protect Americans, and when threats are posed, he has the right to take action at the time, and in the manner of his choosing," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.
"He also is going to take these actions in a manner that's deliberative, and that has the objective of de-escalating activity in both Syria and Iraq," she said.
Asked if the airstrikes influences reopening talks with Iran, Psaki said the status of that, at this point in time, remains that the US is open to having these diplomatic conversations.
Right now the Europeans have issued an invitation and "we are waiting to hear back , she said.
Responding to a question on the legal authority of conducting the strikes in Syria, Psaki said as a matter of domestic law, the president took this action pursuant to his article two authority to defend US personnel.
"The targets were chosen to... correspond to the recent attacks on facilities, and to deter the risk of additional attacks over the coming weeks. As a matter of international law, the US acted pursuant to its right to self defence as reflected in Article 50-1 of the UN Charter. The strikes were both necessary to address the threat and proportionate to the prior attacks, Psaki said.
She added that the national security team conducted a legal review in advance.
At a separate news conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that in the last 10 days there were multiple occasions attacks on American people, positions, interests that took lives and injured others.
"So we had both to respond to those attacks but also to an ongoing threat that was very clear," he said.
"We took this action that I think was focused, proportionate, but also effective in degrading some of the capacity that the militia in question had to perpetrate new attacks, and also to be very clear, notably to Iran, that they cannot act with impunity against our people, our partners, our interests. I think and expect that the message was clearly received, Blinken said.
Congressman Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that the Syrian strike should serve as a reminder that the US will always defend its partners, allies and interests.
This strike against an Iranian-backed militia was defensive in nature, following multiple rocket attacks against our forces in Iraq. The strike was proportional and appropriate given the recent, regrettable actions by Iran-backed militias who have targeted our forces in Iraq, whose mission is to assist the Iraqi people in their fight against ISIS, Smith said.
Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna opposed the attack.
"This makes President Biden the seventh consecutive US president to order strikes in the Middle East. There is absolutely no justification for a president to authorize a military strike that is not in self-defense against an imminent threat without congressional authorisation, Khanna said.
We ran on ending wars, not escalating conflicts in the Middle East. Our foreign policy needs to be rooted in diplomacy and the rule of law, not retaliatory air strikes without Congressional authorization, he said in a tweet.
The US needs to extricate from the Middle East, not escalate. The president should not be taking these actions without seeking explicit authorisation, Khanna said.
He said that he had spoken "against endless war with (former president Donald) Trump, and I will speak out against it when we have a Democratic President".
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
