The Israeli government has been keeping the Biden administration in the dark about the details of its planned reprisal against Iran.
According to sources tapped by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, the Netanyahu government has not shared information with the U.S. about what it is going to do “even after American military officials have discussed possibly supporting Israeli retaliation with intelligence or airstrikes of their own, according to two U.S. officials.”
Israel’s lack of communication with the U.S. is remarkable on its own, but the fact that the U.S. military has been floating the possibility of launching airstrikes on Iranian targets to support Israel’s attack is alarming.
The U.S. cannot legally initiate hostilities against Iran in support of an Israeli reprisal, no matter how the administration might try to dress it up as a “defensive” action. It is also completely unacceptable under our constitutional system for U.S. forces to participate in an attack on another country without Congressional debate and authorization. Unless there is an attack on the United States or its forces, the president cannot order the military to engage in hostilities on his own. The U.S. military shouldn’t be participating or assisting in such an attack just because the president says so. ….more
