The president's response to the Houthi rebel aggression left retired US Army General Jack Keane “absolutely stunned” as Islamist threats expanded beyond the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Why we're still in this defensive role makes no sense to me.”
(Video: Fox News)
Word that authorities in Germany and the Netherlands had arrested members of Hamas suspected of planning attacks against Jews in Europe compounded recent drone attacks on ships in Middle Eastern waters.
While spokespeople for President Joe Biden's administration have touted widespread reactionary defensive measures as part of a narrative of de-escalation, Keane expressed surprise at the inaction “to shut these people down.”
Joining “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade on Friday, the retired four-star general said, “I'm absolutely amazed that we're still sitting there in defensive mode. I mean, obviously, we have the ability to defend – us. That cannot be argued.”
“But to shut these people down, you have to take away their ability to do that. So you go after the — you go after their rockets. You go after their missiles. You go after their storage sites. You go after their system of command and control,” he said. “I mean, we have very good intelligence on the Houthis, of course. And I also think you're going after the Iranians on this because they're really calling the shots here, make no mistake.”
Earlier in the week, the Yemen-based Shiite Islamist group was blamed for launching missiles and deploying drones against commercial ships in the Red Sea. The USS Mason was sent to provide aid after the USS Carney was reported to have intervened in previous attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
“Why we are still in this defensive role makes no sense to me. I know there will be a multi-task force coming in that will escort the ships. But even that, in a sense, is a defensive role,” Keane told Kilmeade. “I mean, obviously, it's the right thing to do. I don't dispute that. But it takes away their ability and punishes them for what they're doing. Otherwise, they're going to keep doing it. Iran's going to keep telling them, shoot, shoot and shoot. And that's just going to continue.”
“What we don't want is for Israel's conflict to escalate into a regional war.” said Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh on December 4. “As of today, he hasn't.”
Keane went on to address pressure from officials for the Israel Defense Forces to end the counteroffensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling it “really more political considerations than anything.” I don't think it has anything to do with what's actually happening on the ground.”
“This is a military campaign. It has military objectives, no doubt, to eventually achieve a political objective: the elimination of Hamas as a political entity,” the general said. “But the campaign itself, designed by the leaders of the IDF, they should commit to executing this campaign and finish the job.”
“He knows full well that more than half of Hamas' fighters are still alive. They cannot end this campaign on a timeline set by someone else,” Keane argued.
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