Three American servicemembers are dead, and more were wounded after a drone strike launched by an Iranian proxy militia. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) said this was a consequence of the Biden Administration's foreign policy in a recent appearance on Fox News's Faulkner Focus, saying the blood of those three members is on their hands, and they "need to take responsibility for it."
The White House said, "We will respond" to the attack. However, Rep. Waltz did not express confidence in any retaliatory plan, much as his colleague Representative Cory Mills (R-FL) did in response to a previous threat against the Houthis in the Red Sea.
"[Iran] clearly did not get the message to stop that Biden thought that they got. What the message they have received is, 'Yes, they are in a proxy war with us.' They are unleashing their militias not just on Israel but on us and on global shipping through the Houthis. And they have gotten the message, loud and clear, that they can get away with it. Not only can they get away with it, that to the extent that we do respond, it will be feckless," said Rep. Waltz.
To illustrate that point, Waltz described hearing from soldiers stationed in the Middle East that most retaliatory strikes are targeting "empty warehouses in the middle of the night so that the administration can check the box to look like they are doing something in response."
After all, avoiding escalation has been a priority, but unfortunately "what Iran hears from that is, 'well, let's take it to the next level and see what we can get away with next time," Waltz continued, adding, "we have a fundamental misunderstanding of deterrence, they are so obsessed with non-escalation that it is actually inviting escalation, and now three people are dead because of it."
"This blood is on this administration's hands, period. And they need to take responsibility for it," Waltz concluded.
