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Like exclamation points on a foreign policy of turmoil, President Joe Biden bucked the will of his successor with new strikes in the Middle East and aid that turned a blind eye on Americans.

Over the weekend in Syria, rebels primarily led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over the capital of Damascus and deposed President Bashar al-Assad, ending decades of rule by his family. While President-Elect Donald Trump called for the United States to “LET IT PLAY OUT,” the Biden administration proceeded to carry out strikes in the region while committing aid for regime change.

“It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country,” Biden had said during an address Sunday. “It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk.”

“The United States will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war and generational brutality by the Assad family,” the incumbent indicated.

“We will remain vigilant. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” the president acknowledged, noting they were “saying the right things now.”

“But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words,” said Biden, “but their actions.”

Accompanying the president’s address, and previous confirmation of strikes in November against facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and militia groups, U.S. CENTCOM announced that strikes on over 75 targets had been carried out by the U.S. Air Force Sunday to “disrupt, degrade and defeat ISIS.”

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” stated General Michael Erik Kurilla. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”

Prior to those announcements, Trump had spoken out on the situation in Syria, touting it as justification for Russia to enter negotiations with Ukraine to end their conflict in Eastern Europe while also insisting, “Syria is a mess, but it is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”

On that point, HTS, a designated terrorist organization previously known to have links to al-Qaeda, was credited with leading the rebels that had overtaken Aleppo and Homs before Damascus, and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance called out, “Many of ‘the rebels’ are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they’ve moderated. Time will tell.”

As to the whereabouts of Assad, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin confirmed the deposed dictator had fled with his family to Russia after his whereabouts were initially unknown.

Weighing in from the State Department, Secretary Antony Blinken released his own statement advancing American involvement and said in part, “After 14 years of conflict, the Syrian people finally have reason for hope. The United States strongly supports a peaceful transition of power to an accountable Syrian government through an inclusive Syrian-led process.”

Meanwhile, the latest move by the lame-duck Biden administration in opposition to the change in policy effectively decided on Election Day came after Ukraine had been authorized to use weapons provided by the United States to launch strikes within Russia.

Adding further insult, Americans impacted by natural disasters were still left in dire conditions as billions more in U.S. taxpayer dollars were committed overseas.

Kevin Haggerty
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