Why is Biden Escalating the Gaza War?

On Thursday night, President Joe Biden - acting without congressional approval - ordered airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, an escalation in the regional spillover from Israel’s war in Gaza that now directly involves US military personnel. Biden chose to escalate the conflict and bomb Yemen in response to Houthi fighters’ Red Sea attacks. His unconditional support and steady flow of weapons to Israel appears to be increasing the likelihood of a regional war. Instead of using the U.S.’s considerable leverage over Israel to push for a ceasefire, Biden is enabling a brutal war that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, and ties his administration to Israel’s decisions as it inches toward an all out war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Biden should be honest with Americans: the longer Israel’s siege of Gaza persists, the greater the chances of a regional conflagration that will put American lives in danger.