U.S. Support of Ukraine: A Statement of State Addressing the Foreign Minister Antony Biden at an Emergency Video Conference on Tuesday, July 17.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on Monday in order to reiterate US support. Zelensky is expected to address the group during the emergency video conference that Biden is expected to join on Tuesday.
Biden, the statement said, “also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance.”
And a second senior administration official provided the following summary of air defense aid provided to Ukraine from the US: “We have transferred more than 1,400 Stinger anti-air systems to Ukraine, as well as air surveillance and multi-mission radars. We enabled our Allies to transfer air defense systems of their own to Ukraine – including Slovakia’s transfer of a critical S-300 system in April. And in August, President Biden announced a new assistance package for Ukraine that included orders for 8 new NASAMS—National Advanced Surface to Air Missile Systems. We will continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself.”
NASAMS to Ukraine had not been delivered by the US as of late September. At the time, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said two systems were expected to be delivered in the next two months, with the remaining six to arrive at an undetermined date.
Russia launched a total of 84 cruise missiles against targets across Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post.
Russian President Putin said the strikes were in response to acts of terrorism by the Ukrainians. He referred to Saturday’s explosion on the Kerch Bridge linking Russia and Chechnya, as well as a list of other alleged “crimes.”
The threat of nuclear weapons was raised last month by Putin after he announced the partial deployment of 300,000 reserve soldiers following successful Ukrainian attacks. The Russian president recently made a decision to annex four Ukrainian regions in defiance of international law.
A deputy head of Russia’s Security Council believes that Moscow should aim for the complete dismantlement of Zelensky’s regime.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said Monday that there will likely be additional support packages for Ukraine announced “in the very near future.”
“It’s clear that he’s feeling the pressure both at home and overseas, and how he reacts to that only he can say,” Kirby told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on “Erin Burnett OutFront.”
Biden gave a stark warning about the risks of Putin’s nuclear threats and warned about the possibility of Armageddon. But multiple US officials have said the comment was not based on any new intelligence about Putin’s intentions or changes in Russia’s nuclear posture.
The Attack on the US Airfields in the Central Command Region by a U.S. Detection of a Quadrupole-Born-Infeld Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
The US airstrike came after a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility housing US personnel in the country, killing an American contractor and wounding five US service members.
The contractor was an American citizen, a spokesman for US Central Command confirmed. Five US service members and an additional US contractor were also wounded in the strike.
Recent attacks on US facilities in the region have prompted the Biden administration to carry out airstrikes against militias affiliated with Iran.
The US, according to the Pentagon statement, “took proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize casualties.”
Austin said President Biden made it clear that we would respond at a time and place of our choosing, and take all necessary measures to defend our people. No group will hurt our troops with impunity.
An official with knowledge of the situation told CNN the drone crashed in hopes of hitting its target. The infrastructure that was attacked by the US did not have anything to do with the suspected Iranian drones, but with the fact it was supporting Iranian groups in the country with intel and weapons.
The Threat from Iran to the United States: Stellar Security, Defense, and Defense in the Middle East, according to the Joint Task Force of the Joint Intelligence Task Force
The commander of the US Central Command said the US could launch more strikes, if needed. In the face of any additional attacks from Iran, we are ready to use our options, according to the statement.
There have been 78 attacks by Iranian proxies against US forces in the Middle East, an average of about one every 10 days, according to Kurilla.
“What Iran does to hide its hand is they use Iranian proxies,” Kurilla told a House Armed Services Committee hearing earlier in the day. “That’s either UAVs or rockets to be able to attack our forces in either Iraq or Syria.”
In February of 2021. Biden undertook military action against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq after they launched attacks on US troops. And in August, the US struck a group of bunkers used for ammunition storage and logistics support by Iranian proxies in Syria, after rockets landed near another US facility.
There were rocket attacks on US and coalition forces in Syria a few weeks before Milley’s visit. The threat from Iran and its proxies was underscored by the fact that no US or coalition troops were injured in that attack.
Just two days before the rocket attack, four US troops and one working dog were injured in a helicopter raid against a senior ISIS leader in northeast Syria.
In a letter to Congress, Biden explained that the strikes were made in order to protect and defend the safety of his personnel as well as to deter Iran backed groups from attacking the United States.
Saturday’s notification is a routine part of the War Powers Act, which requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military actions. The letter was sent to both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Sen. Patty Murray.
The Air Force: The U.S. Response to the Ukrainian War on Drones and other Threats from the Mid-Atlantic to the Middle East
The US has already sanctioned Tehran for providing attack drones to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine. Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that Iran could produce enough fissile material in less than two weeks to make a nuclear weapon.
There is a brindle The Pentagon said Friday that the strikes were intended to send a strong message that the US will protect its personnel and respond fast if they are threatened.