Defense experts say the Biden administration has spent years emboldening Islamic groups and states currently at odds with the United States and its Western allies.

Coalition naval and air forces launched their first retaliatory strikes against the Houthis on Thursday, underscoring months of widespread conflict between the United States, Israel and other Western allies and Islamic extremists in the Middle East. I made it. Some of these countries and entities have benefited from the Biden administration's foreign policy through sanctions relief and aid.

“The Biden administration's policies have undermined the strategic security and economic interests of the United States and its allies in the Middle East, with deadly consequences,” said Michael, former senior communications adviser to President Trump and National Security Council official. Barrs told the Daily Caller News Foundation. .

The same goes for the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group based in Yemini. In an apparent show of support for Hamas' war against Israel, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since October 2023. US forces in the region often had to intervene in these attacks. In one case, a naval warship was forced to act in “self-defense” after coming under Houthi fire on January 6, and a naval helicopter took similar action against the militants during a firefight in December. .

The United States created a defense coalition of Western allies in the region in December as a warning to the Houthis, but the militants continued to attack undeterred, ultimately leading to Thursday's retaliatory attack. (Related article: Biden issues written statement after US bombs Houthis for third consecutive day without public event)

At 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on January 11, U.S. Central Command, in coordination with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain, launched an attack on the Houthis to reduce their ability to sustain attacks. Conducted joint attacks against targets. they are illegal… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024

The Houthis were designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration in 2021, but that label was quickly removed by the Biden administration after President Joe Biden took office. The Biden administration has removed the Houthis from the terrorist list due to concerns about their humanitarian impact on Yemen.

After the Houthis were removed from the Biden administration's list of terrorists in 2021, they began to increase hostilities in Yemen and abroad. The Biden administration is now reconsidering returning the Houthis to designated terrorist status following their recent acts of aggression.

“The redesignation of the Iranian-backed Houthi group… has been long overdue,” said Matt Zweig, senior policy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). statement in November. “For too long, they have threatened and attacked international shipping and America's allies and partners in the region.”

Much of the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East is caused by Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. Designated by the United States and other Western countries. Iran masterminds and finances more than a dozen Islamic terrorist and extremist groups across the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. (Related: 'End it!': John Kirby slams reporter who suggests US is to blame for 'escalation' with Iran)

The Biden administration has made several concessions to Iran since Biden took office in 2021. The administration has quietly eased enforcement of oil sanctions that had previously hampered Iran's revenue. Iran's oil exports were only 400,000 barrels per day under the Trump administration, but have soared to approximately 2 million barrels per day as of September 2023.

Iran earns billions of dollars from these oil exports. The Iranian government recently made billions more after completing a deal with the Biden administration that released $6 billion in previously frozen assets in exchange for five American prisoners. Ta. Critics and lawmakers warned that this would only embolden Iran to take more aggressive actions against the United States. Despite the Biden administration's insistence that it was for humanitarian purposes only, the Iranian government has openly admitted that it will spend the money wherever it wants.

The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five Americans held in Iran. In return, the US would give Iran access to $6 billion that had been blocked by US sanctions. @NBCNewsLester Holt spoke exclusively with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. pic.twitter.com/THtt3oXjmf

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 12, 2023

Additionally, the Biden administration in November extended sanctions waivers that give Iran access to $10 billion in electricity revenue. The Biden administration again insisted that the money could only be used for humanitarian purposes.

But critics point out that even if this were true, since money is fungible, it would essentially free up funds Iran already has in its cash reserves. Iran frequently uses its funds to support terrorism, as it has for many years.

“Biden has added fuel to the fire by making Iran significantly richer over the past three years,” former State Department official Gabriel Noronha told DCNF. “This has not only emboldened the regime, but enabled it to train, equip, and fund its terrorist proxies to carry out all the attacks seen in the Middle East over the past three months. ”

Despite the Biden administration's more passive stance toward Iran, Iran remains aggressive toward the West and has not eased its nuclear program. The uranium enrichment process briefly appeared to slow down in early 2023 as a result of a $6 billion “ransom” deal struck with the Biden administration, but it has begun to accelerate the process again and now has enough It possesses enriched uranium. Develop 3 nuclear bombs.

The Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas, based in the Gaza Strip, has also benefited from the Biden administration's foreign policy. Since Biden took office in 2021, the Biden administration has sent approximately $5.5 million in aid to Gaza, and UN agencies working in the region are given an additional $90 million in funding each year. (Related article: Kamala Harris reportedly urged Biden to be more sympathetic to Palestinians)

The Biden administration made a hasty decision in November to send $100 million in emergency humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the scene of a war between Israel and Hamas following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Biden assured Americans in November that aid would be delivered. He said it would “support more than one million people displaced by conflicts affecting the Palestinian people, including urgent needs in Gaza.”

But Biden's internal State Department memo says there is a “high risk” that virtually all U.S. aid provided to Gaza will benefit Hamas. In October, the State Department said there was a “legitimate concern” that Hamas would divert U.S. aid.

The Biden administration insisted it would send aid anyway. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has discovered that Hamas is stealing aid and physically beating civilians in Gaza who try to access it. according to To the Jerusalem Post.

Aid trucks provided by the United Arab Emirates are guarded by people believed to be members of Hamas police. pic.twitter.com/mmzLa1IgJW

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) December 17, 2023

“Hamas continues to sit astride the flow of supplies into the Gaza Strip and has a history of using humanitarian aid to expand its power,” said FDD research analyst Joe Truzman. statement During October. “It claims that Gaza's residents do not have enough food and fuel, while stealing from them and using these civilians as shields in its war with Israel.”

Starting in 2022, the Biden administration will also offered The support is for Lebanon, which is home to Hezbollah, a highly effective Iranian-backed terrorist group that has been in repeated conflict with Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The Biden administration is sending aid to Lebanon in hopes of curbing Hezbollah's influence in the region, since the terrorist group is technically a non-state actor. according to To FDD.

According to FDD, Lebanon is making no attempt to stop Hezbollah despite gifts of aid from the Biden administration, even though it violates the country's UN security resolutions. The Lebanese government claims it will implement these resolutions if the United States and other neighboring Arab states allow it to elect a Hezbollah-aligned president, which essentially means that it is “already required under international law.” It is an attempt to “use national security obligations to blackmail the U.S. government.” David Dowd, FDD Senior Fellow.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

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