Joe Biden
WSJ, Apr. 17, 2024
“… if Iran succeeds in significantly escalating its assault on Israel, the U.S. could be drawn in. Israel is our strongest partner in the Middle East; it’s unthinkable that we would stand by if its defenses were weakened and Iran was able to carry out the destruction it intended this weekend.”
Iran launched an unprecedented attack against Israel this weekend, with a barrage of missiles and drones. Around the same time, some 1,500 miles north, Russia continued its bombardment of Ukraine, which has intensified dramatically in the last month.
Both Ukraine and Israel defended themselves against these attacks, holding the line and protecting their citizens. And both did it with critical help from the U.S.
Now is not the time to abandon our friends. The House must pass urgent national-security legislation for Ukraine and Israel, as well as desperately needed humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
In this third year of Russia’s war, Ukraine continues to defy the odds. Against a much larger military, the Ukrainians regained more than half the territory that Russia occupied after its 2022 invasion. They’ve struck the Russian navy time and again, winning important victories in the Black Sea. And they’ve developed innovative weapons, especially drones, to counter Russian forces. Theirs is a fighting force with the will and the skill to win.
Meanwhile, as we saw this weekend, Israel’s military has the technology and training to defend the country against even an attack of unprecedented scope and ferocity.
But while both countries can capably defend their own sovereignty, they depend on American assistance, including weaponry, to do it. And this is a pivotal moment.
Vladimir Putin is ramping up his onslaught with help from his friends. China is providing Russia with microelectronics and other equipment that is critical for defense production. Iran is sending hundreds of drones; North Korea is providing artillery and ballistic missiles. Ukraine, facing ammunition shortfalls, is losing hold of territory it had regained.
After years of backing Hezbollah, Hamas and other proxies in their attacks on Israel, including Hamas’s brutal attack on Oct. 7, Iran launched a direct attack of its own—hoping to penetrate Israel’s air defense, including David’s Sling and the Iron Dome, which saved countless lives this weekend.
