Republican legislators grilled top Pentagon officials on Tuesday over what they perceive as a lack of response to Iranian attacks against US forces in the region.
Last Thursday, an Iranian drone attack on a US coalition base in north-eastern Syria killed an American contract worker and injured six others.
The US responded with precision air strikes on Iran-linked groups in the region that left 19 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in the UK.
But some Republican senators say the military has not responded strongly enough.
“Despite the more than 80 attacks by Iranian-backed militias, the United States has only responded with force just a handful of times. In my view, that's unacceptable,” said Senator Ted Budd.
Iran has launched 83 attacks against the US since Joe Biden became President in January 2021, according to testimony from Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.
The Pentagon chief clarified that many of those attacks yielded no significant damage or deaths.
“An attack can consist of a number of things,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It can consist of a rocket that's fired in the direction of one of our bases but is not effective.”
Mr Austin defended the military’s responses.
“When we respond, we want to make sure that we are going after the element that is responsible for whatever that activity is,” he said.
“So it takes a little time to develop attribution and then we want to make sure that we are holding the right element accountable, and we're doing everything that we can to protect our troops.”
But Mr Austin's comments did not satisfy Republicans.
“Seventy-nine and four is Iran’s record right now,” said Senator Tom Cotton.
“What kind of signal do we think this sends to Iran when they can attack us 83 times since Joe Biden has become president and we only respond four?"
Mr Budd said that "weakness only breeds more aggression" and that if the US only retaliated when an American is killed, Iran would "continue attacking, hoping to injure as many as possible".
The Biden administration has taken a more cautious approach to Iran than its predecessor.
Mr Biden said the US did not "seek conflict with Iran" but warned that he was prepared "to act forcefully to protect our people".
Under the administration of his predecessor, Donald Trump, the US military killed Iran's top military leader, Qassem Suleimani, in an early morning drone strike at Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
The US has about 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq supporting the international coalition against the remnants of ISIS.
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
