The dismissal of the idea that IS poses a credible threat within the United States is sure to draw the same ridicule as comments made Thursday by President Barack Obama, who said the group had been successfully "contained" by the US military.
— Jack (@NotJackBratcher) November 14, 2015
The remarks were almost immediately followed by major attacks in Beirut on Thursday, and in Paris on Friday. Between the two massacres, more than 160 people were killed.
On Monday, IS warned in a new video that countries taking part in airstrikes against Syria would suffer the same fate as France, and vowed to attack Washington, DC.
"We say to the states that take part in the crusader campaign that, by God, you will have a day, God willing, like France's and by God, as we struck France in the center of its abode in Paris, then we swear that we will strike America at its center in Washington," the man in the video said.
Still, US intelligence officials maintain that while they have detected increased chatter encouraging an attack on American soil, they have no evidence of any credible threat posed by IS to launch any specific attacks here.
However, US intelligence on the matter is being drawn into some question considering their shock at the Paris attacks. Obama on Monday said the United States had no precise intelligence warning of the shootings and bombings.
The United States has agreed to speed up its sharing of military intelligence with France to try to thwart such attacks, the president added in a news conference after a summit in Turkey.
There does appear to have been evidence elsewhere that the Paris attacks were imminent. Iraq said it warned France the day before, and also warned of IS orders to attack Iran and Russia.
