Baghdad- US President Joe Biden’s authorisation of military air raids in eastern Syria on Thursday has drawn criticism in the Middle East.
The United States military said it carried out measured attacks on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran-backed militias, in response to rocket attacks against US targets in Iraq.
The air raids were “deliberate” and aimed to “de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq”, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
‘Same as Trump’
Some commentators said there was a clear effort to draw a distinction between Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump, who in response to attacks on coalition forces in Iraq used “the most disproportionate force by killing the Iranian general (Qassem) Soleimani”, said Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi in Washington, DC.
Seyyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor of English literature and orientalism at the University of Tehran said the move showed how Biden and Trump are the same.
Biden is the same garbage as Trump.
When the Iraqi Resistance strikes US occupation forces, the US regime murders heroic Iraqi forces far away inside Syria who are battling ISIS.
The US attempts to both strengthen ISIS in Syria & intimidate the people of Iraq.
They will fail. https://t.co/7d04QEsqoM
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) February 26, 2021
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke to his Syrian counterpart on Friday hours after US air raids.
“The two sides stressed the need of the West to adhere to UN Security Council resolutions regarding Syria,” the Iranian government website Dolat.ir said.
US journalist Ayman Moyeldin drew a timeline to show similarities between Biden’s move and several former US presidents.
Days into their Presidency before launching a military operation in the Middle East:
Biden: 37 days strikes #Syria
Trump: 9 days launches Op in #Yemen
Obama: 3 days strikes #Pakistan
Bush: 27 days strikes #IraqBut tell me more about how we can turn a new page in the region?
— Ayman (@AymanM) February 26, 2021
The US has long been criticised for military intervention in several Muslim-majority countries such as Iraq and Libya and imposing regime change leading to political chaos and instability.
‘Not de-escalatory’
In the US, the move was also met with condemnation.
Hillary Mann Leverett, CEO of the political risk consultancy Stratega, said while the air raids sent a message about the Biden administration’s loyalties in the region, they would not diffuse the situation in the Middle East.
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