Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released a statement following Iranian Attack:
"This weekend, Iran launched a drone into Israeli airspace from Syria; an F-16 fighter jet was destroyed and one pilot retained serious injuries. This violation of Israeli sovereignty exemplifies Iran’s growing regional influence, as well as the threat that its dominance in Syria poses to Israel.
"The U.S. is failing both Israeli and American interests by ceding its leadership in Syria to Iran and Russia, whose national security interests often directly contradict our own. The Russian government has made clear that they believe all Syrian territory must return to Assad regime control before political reforms can be considered. This is the same regime that is responsible for the slaughter of more than 500,000 of its own citizens since the beginning of the conflict. The Iranian regime has made clear their objective is to retain control of territory – either directly or through proxies – from Tehran to Beirut. This is unacceptable. Assad’s continued presence in Damascus is and will remain a recruiting tool for terrorist groups in the region, as his regime enables Iranian forces and has supplied tens of thousands of arms to Hezbollah fighters, who pose a clear threat to Israel’s security.
"Israeli officials have publicly expressed concern that the U.S. is failing to provide necessary support on the border with Syria. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been forced to turn to Moscow to ask for protection from Iranian threats. He was in direct contact with President Putin in the aftermath of this weekend’s confrontation, and news reports note that Israel is relying on Russia to limit direct confrontations with Iran.
"I urge President Trump and his national security team to consider the effect that the U.S. engaging meaningfully in an effort to end the conflict in Syria has on our allies and our national security interests. The U.S. should push back against the Iranian and Russian entities that are destabilizing the region, including through sanctions as my bipartisan Preventing Destabilization of Iraq and Syria Act would do.”
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