Russia says Biden ‘boosting’ his presidential campaign with Syria, Iraq strikes
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The Newz Radar
New York: Russia has accused US President Joe Biden of carrying out military strikes in Iraq and Syria to prop up his presidential re-election campaign. Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, at a meeting of the Security Council, said Biden giving the nod to engage in conflicts in the Middle East was not in response to the deadly attack on US soldiers in Jordan but an attempt to boost his image.
The US last week began airstrikes against dozens of targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and allied groups after the Jordan drone attacks which Washington blamed on Iranian-backed militias.
“The biggest operation of the US in the region since 2003, presented by Joe Biden as an act of retaliation for an attack of the use of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) of unconfirmed origin on the American base that is illegally in Syria has no justification,” said Nebenzia.
“We see in these ‘flex their muscles’ attempts, first of all, a desire to influence the domestic political landscape in America, a desire to somehow correct the disastrous image of the current American administration,” he added.
The US will go to polls in November this year with Biden expected to square up against former prez Donald Trump in all likelihood.
Biden’s approval ratings have taken a tumble in recent months as Trump chalks up a comeback. Experts believe that the current escalation in the Middle East, if played well, could provide Biden the required filip, to make the competition even.
Washington has justified the US strikes in Syria and Iraq under Article 51 of the founding UN Charter, which covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defence against armed attack.
“Let me be clear: The United States does not desire more conflict in a region when we are actively working to contain and de-escalate the conflict in Gaza. And we are not seeking a direct conflict with Iran,” said Wood.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, seven Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) special forces “commandos” were killed and 18 others wounded in “a drone attack after midnight” on Monday (Feb 5).
Apart from the strikes in Iraq and Syria, Washington is busy bombarding Houthis in Yemen alongside allies after the militant group started attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea to avenge Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
