Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata told Newsmax on Thursday that Iran is picking up on weakness in U.S. foreign policy with the way President Joe Biden has been approaching the war between Israel and Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Biden has become more critical of Israel, the U.S.'s only democratic ally in the region, as he runs for reelection to placate outrage by Muslim Americans in battleground states such as Michigan and Minnesota outraged by his support for the Jewish state.
"What you have is Biden trying to play domestic politics by supporting Israel's enemy," Tata told "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE." "That opens the door for Iran to see the weakness in the United States and exploit the division that Biden has created.
"Remember, the Democrats see a divided America as a better America for them because it allows them to seize more power. What the world sees as a divided America as an opportunity; [Russian President Vladimir] Putin saw it, the mullahs [in Iran] are seeing it."
The world is on edge that a wider conflict in the Middle East could break out. Iran has vowed revenge for an April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus that killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished and it shall be."
Tata warned the U.S. is not ready militarily should a wider conflict break out.
"Readiness is a real issue," Tata said. "The Army, Navy, and Air Force are 25% below manning levels, so we're about 75% of what we need just from a combat readiness standpoint. It's a tough fight and remember that [FBI Director Christopher] Wray just warned about China, right? So we can't take our eye off that ball."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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