White House: ISIS Airstrikes Won’t Be Confined to Iraq

Obama 'Willing to Go Into Other Countries Where Necessary'

White House spokesman Josh Earnest confirmed that when the Obama Administration begins to launch air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), they won’t actually be confined to Iraq.

“The president has demonstrated a willingness to go into other countries where necessary to protect our national and homeland security,” Earnest said, noting US strikes in Yemen and Somalia.

Other officials had indicated President Obama wouldn’t hesitate to launch strikes in Syria, but Earnest’s comments suggest the whole world is the battlefield once again and that President Obama might conceivably strike anywhere he wants.

Earnest also ducked questions about needing Congressional authorization for such strikes beyond Iraq, insisting that the President had long attacked other countries without it being a big deal.

Though ISIS is primarily located in Iraq and Syria, they also have a presence in Lebanon, and have affiliated factions across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.