The newly-appointed military leader under President Joe Biden issued a cautionary statement on Monday directed at Iran. This comes as Israel engages in conflict with Hamas following a lethal raid by the militant group from Gaza over the weekend.
When asked about his message to Iran, Gen. CQ Brown, who assumed the role of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just over two weeks ago, advised against Iranian involvement. This information was shared by a small group of reporters who spoke to him during a flight to Brussels, and some excerpts from their conversation were reported.
Dan Lamothe of The Washington Post pointed out that General Brown mentioned the deployment of a carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean and the addition of more fighter jets to the region.
“Our force posture movements are not only in support of Israel but also to deter any other entities that might decide to support Hamas in this particular conflict with Israel,” said Brown.
“We wanted to send a pretty strong message that we don’t want this to broaden, and the idea is for Iran to get that message loud and clear,” Brown explained.
The Biden administration acknowledges Iran’s historical support for Hamas but has not publicly endorsed allegations that Iran played a role in planning the attack on Israel.
“Of course, Iran has long supported Hamas and other terrorist networks throughout the region with resources, capabilities training,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on MSNBC. “And so in that regard, clearly, Iran is complicit here. But in terms of specific evidence on this, on these sets of attacks — no, we don’t have anything.”
Despite Hamas claiming Iranian backing for the attack on Israel, and Iranian officials commending the group for the incursion, Iran’s mission to the United Nations told CNN that Tehran was not involved.
The conflict could potentially escalate further as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, another group with ties to Iran, has reportedly engaged in exchanges of fire with Israel.
President Joe Biden has committed to providing U.S. support to Israel following the Hamas attack. He stated on Monday that it resulted in the deaths of at least 11 Americans and likely led to the hostage-taking of other U.S. citizens.
