Since Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel's military response in the Gaza Strip, Iran has used its proxies in Iraq and Syria to attack U.S. military personnel stationed there.
Also, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired missiles and drones that U.S. ships have intercepted in the Red Sea.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Tuesday that Iran feels emboldened because of weakness displayed by the Biden administration, which has relaxed sanctions on Tehran and unfrozen billions of dollars of assets to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.
"When I was in Israel in November, I raised concerns with the administration about the response to the attacks emanating out of Iraq and Syria against our military personnel and their [lack of] a coherent response," Lawler told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" and guest host Bianca de la Garza.
On Christmas Day, the U.S. military attacked three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq. The U.S. was retaliating for an attack on Erbil Air Base in Iraq earlier that day that left three U.S. service members injured, including one who is in critical condition.
"Obviously, we didn't want to escalate the situation on the ground in Israel, but we now have three service members who have been injured, including one critically," Lawler, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. "And the administration responded, but you can't wait until there is the injury of American personnel to react and that is something that is shown again, weakness on the world stage."
There were reports Tuesday the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity, with 90% purity needed to make an atomic bomb. Also on Tuesday, the USS Laboon and U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean, shot down 12 attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea that were fired by Houthi rebels over a 10-hour period, according to a post on X by U.S. Central Command.
"We need to be very clear that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable and the administration needs to take action," Lawler said. "We also need to crack down on the Houthis. What is going on in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf is totally unacceptable."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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