“Our shock and awe initiation – I think 80, 85 targets, 220 plus munitions, $500 million it cost us to strike these targets – immediately several of the militias in the area have fired drones and rockets against American bases, and it's ongoing,” he noted. “Not only that, I mean, look, President [Joe] Biden admitted that the strikes against the Houthis have not deterred them, that they continue to do what they do [blockading ships in the Red Sea].”
“If there was ever any legitimacy to the American presence in Iraq and Syria linked to the so-called anti-Islamic state mission that we're ostensibly engaged in, we just think that,” said the analyst. “I mean, the Syrian government will never support us to stay in American presence on their soil, especially an illegal presence.”
“No one has ever once paused and reflected, 'Why were they there? What were they trying to accomplish?’” said Ritter. “And by avenging their deaths, are we not just putting more American servicemens’ lives at risk for a cause that's not worth the life of one American, let alone the scores of Syrians and Iraqis that we're killing as a result of this? So, we don't learn anything. I'm just, I'm ashamed of my country.”