This is dangerous because you could fall into a pattern that leads to military escalation without the voters having any say. Sen. Chris Murphy (D.Conn.), a leading member of the Foreign Relations Committee said in an interview. A president should only claim broad Article II authority. This is the best option.Senator Bob Menendez (D.N.J.), who chairs the Foreign Relations panels, suggested that he would like a wider examination of Biden's legal reasoning for the strikes. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have always viewed the president's Article II powers as broad and expansive.Congress can authorize the use or declaration of war and military force, Menendez stated in a Monday statement about the airstrikes.The Biden administration was further complicated by the fact that the Iraqi government condemned Monday's strikes on its soil, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.In retaliation to the strikes by militia groups, U.S. forces in Syria were also hit with rocket fire on Monday night, Lt. Col. Wayne Marotto (a spokesperson for the coalition) stated via Twitter. Marotto stated that there are no injuries, and that the damage is still being assessed.In recent months, Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have increased their attacks on Americans in the region. This prompted Biden to approve what Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby called defensive precision airstrikes against the weapons storage facilities of the groups near the Iraq-Syria frontier.Kirby said that the president ordered further military action to deter and disrupt the continuing attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups on U.S. interests within Iraq.According to Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Jessica McNulty spoke to POLITICO Monday. According to a defense official, the strikes were carried out by Air Force jets from U.S. Central Command base.In recent months, the groups have switched tactics from using rockets to deploying UAS or unmanned aerial systems. This is a move U.S officials consider an escalation. McNulty stated that at least five UAS strikes have been launched by the militias against U.S. personnel and coalition personnel in Iraq since April.Those Pentagon explanations might not suffice for Democrats, who already demand classified briefings on the nature of the threat. Many view the airstrikes already as hostilities under War Powers Act, which requires congressional approval.Murphy stated that the administration would be better to come to Congress and ask for a debate about a declaration of war, if they see a need to continue going back and forth between Iran proxy groups."Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D.Va.), a former CIA Officer who has pushed for repeal of aging war authorizations said that she hadn't yet read the justification from the administration for the airstrike but didn't see the move leading to a prolonged war powers debate.Spanberger stated in an interview that "We are pretty far from authorizing or moving toward an authorization of the use of military force specifically to Iranian-backed militia[s]". "There is a lot happening around the globe, and I believe that there would be substantial, significant debate in Congress before we would consider writing such an authorization."Biden in February directed an airstrike against a border crossing used in eastern Syria by Iran-backed militias. He has resisted the temptation to launch additional retaliatory actions amid repeated attacks on U.S. personnel and Iraqi civilians. Officials claimed that the February strike was intended to send a message to Iran about the Biden administration's refusal to tolerate attacks by proxy groups in the region. It also avoided an escalation of the conflict.The administration views the increasing number of UAS strikes as an escalation to increase Washington's pressure to withdraw troops from Iraq. This is according to a senior defense official who spoke under anonymity to discuss sensitive operations. This official stated that the drones now carry larger and more precise payloads.Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who led the effort to repeal the 2002 and 1991 Iraq war authorizations in the upper chamber, stated that Brett McGurk, the White House's Middle East coordinator, was going to brief him on Monday about the strikes.Kaine stated that he was worried that the conflict will escalate without a congressional conversation, but that Biden's actions were a classic mechanism of self-defense.Kaine said that I view Article II powers in a more restricted way than others. It must be defense against imminent or actual attacks.Democrats raised concerns that strikes by the U.S. against Iran-backed militias are not having a deterrent impact. Although the administration described the strikes as being targeted and precise, the attacks on Americans are not decreasing.While protecting American troops is important, continuing airstrikes will not stop Iran-backed militias attacking our troops in Iraq. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), said that this is not the case. I am looking forward to the Biden administration's realistic plan to de-escalate, as we discussed back at February. We can't continue launching strikes over and again expecting a different outcome.Biden's airstrikes received a crucial endorsement from at least one top Democrat. Adam Schiff, the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee (Calif.), stated that the strikes were an appropriate use of force for defensive purposes and that he had asked the administration to assess whether the action would deter further attacks.As of Monday morning, Republicans were mostly silent about the airstrikes, but Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, the top Republican in the Senate Armed Services Committee said that Biden did the right things and that this decision highlights the importance of keeping the 2002 Iraq war authorization.Inhofe stated that these actions were overdue and emphasize the continuing need for the 2002 AUMF. He also said that a comprehensive replacement is necessary before a repeal can even be considered. This was especially important considering the ongoing threat posed by Iranian-backed militias to American troops.The Iraqi government has been in trouble for a long time as it tried to maintain good relations both with Tehran and Washington. The Iraqi government has been supported by both Iranian-backed and U.S. forces in its fight against the Islamic State terrorist organization. Iran also has important economic, cultural, and religious ties to Iraq.This report was contributed by Nahal Toosi, Connor O'Brien and others.
