Of course, Biden administration officials are trying to take credit for the unraveling of the Iranian axis and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, conveniently rewriting their involvement in a series of Israeli victories they actually worked to undermine. Hours after it happened, Biden was out there touting the “unflagging support of the United States” for Israel.
In his remarks at the White House, Biden was quick to boast that his administration’s approach had “shifted the balance of power in the Middle East.” Sure, a combination of support for allies, sanctions, and a little bit of military force—when absolutely necessary—had “opened up new opportunities” for the people of Syria. The fact that this rhetoric has been a little shaky at times, especially with how Biden has also spent much of the last 14 months calling on Israel to dial things back, doesn’t seem to matter now.
While Biden and his team were busy offering “support” for Israel, they were also meddling in their military decisions, urging Israel not to strike Hezbollah or escalate too much. But now that Israel is allegedly winning, Biden’s ready to pretend he was all in from the start, with his administration providing “crucial” military and diplomatic support, even as he publicly pushed for de-escalation.
Biden’s approach has been anything but consistent. When Israel needed to take action against Hezbollah, the Biden administration was there with reservations, warning Israel not to get too carried away. In fact, Biden was practically begging for ceasefires at every turn, calling Israel’s response “over the top” in Gaza and proposing “pauses” and “permanent ends to hostilities” as if war were just a business negotiation.
So, now that Israel has practically obliterated Hezbollah’s infrastructure and taken down key figures, Biden’s ready to claim a victory and take credit for a regional shift, even as the facts show a pattern of inconsistent and often contradictory positions. He might not have helped Israel win, but he’s certainly figured out how to take credit for it once the dust has settled.
