Speaker Johnson Presses Biden to Release Stalled Weapons Shipments to Israel, as Tensions Run High With Iran

Last updated on August 14th, 2024 at 08:45 am

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has urged President Joe Biden to unblock any and all pending U.S. weapons shipments to Israel, amid heightened concerns over an expanding conflict with Iran.

Both the United States and Israel have been on heightened alert this past week after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a bomb blast in Tehran on July 31. While no one has claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death, Iranian officials were quick to point the blame at Israel and the United States as its ally.

Within hours of the July 31 blast, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei declared Iran is duty-bound to avenge Haniyeh.

Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued to suggest a “strong response” was coming Israel’s way on Monday.

“Any attack by Iran against Israel or American interests would be unjustified and met with decisive force,” Johnson said Tuesday. “America and our allies and partners in the region should work together to strongly counter Iran and its terror proxies to send a clear message against these malign activities.”

After repeated attacks on American troops in the region, and while Israel is under threat from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, the U.S. cannot hesitate to defend our servicemembers and our ally.

Any attack by Iran against Israel or American interests would be unjustified and met…

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) August 6, 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has urged President Joe Biden to unblock any and all pending U.S. weapons shipments to Israel, amid heightened concerns over an expanding conflict with Iran.

Johnson then turned his attention to a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel that the Biden administration has kept on hold since May.

“Now is the time for the White House to realize their choices have brought us to the brink of disaster and give full-throated support to Israel,” Johnson said. “President Biden must immediately release all previously withheld and delayed weapons to Israel — so it can defend its people and deter Iran — and make clear that there will be decisive economic, military, and international ramifications should Iran engage in or support any attacks.”

The Biden administration, thus far, has signaled it is bolstering U.S. air defense capabilities throughout the region. Still, the Biden administration has urged Israel and Iran to avoid further escalations.

Israel and Iran went through a previous round of tit-for-tat exchanges in April. The last escalatory cycle began when after Iran assessed Israel was responsible for an April 1 airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, Syria. Iranian forces launched a wave of drone and missile attacks targeting Israel on April 13.

No decisive Iranian attack on Israel has materialized since July 31, but U.S. and Israeli forces have continued to contend with Iran’s regional partners.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, in an emailed statement on Tuesday, that four U.S. servicemembers and a U.S. contractor were injured when a pair of rockets struck the Asad Airbase in Iraq on Aug. 5. CENTCOM said the post-strike assessment continues, but that all seven individuals are in stable condition.

The U.S. military reported three U.S. service members were evacuated for further care while the fourth service member and the contractor were able to return to duty.

The Israeli military reported striking targets in the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas on Monday and Tuesday. They also reported targeting Hezbollah leaders and suspected Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has appeared to launch its own strikes on Israel. The group claimed responsibility for drone and rocket attacks across northern Israel on Monday.

The Israeli military also reported several Israeli citizens were injured during a series of drone attacks near the northern coastal city of Nahariya on Tuesday. Israeli forces subsequently said the injuries may have resulted from a misfired Israeli air defense missile, but they are still investigating the incident.

This article was updated to reflect a revised U.S. military assessment of the casualties from the Asad Airbase attack.