2020 Dems offer prayers to US troops following Iran missile attacks, call for de-escalation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls responded to Iran's targeted attacks on U.S. military and coalition forces at two military bases in Iraq on Tuesday, offering prayers to U.S. servicemembers and calling for the de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
The attacks on Al-Assad Air Base and the base in Erbil comes days after a U.S.-led airstrike that killed Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani and sparked promises of retaliation against the U.S. from Iranian forces.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At a campaign event in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Tuesday night Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said "We have to start on sober note. For any of you who haven’t been able to follow, within last hour the Iranian government has announced that it has sent missiles to attack our military bases in Iraq.
"My three brothers all served in the military," Warren continued. "At this moment, my heart and my prayers are with all the members of the military and with their families, in Iraq and all around the world. This is a reminder [of] why we need to de-escalate tension in the Middle East. The American people do not want a war with Iran”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.; former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., all posted notes of gratitude and concern for members of the U.S. military impacted by the tensions in Iraq and Iran.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Praying for the safety of our troops and personnel in Iraq right now," Booker wrote on Twitter.
He later added: "We are quickly heading to a point of no return in the region. We must use diplomacy to de-escalate and keep Americans safe at home and abroad."
Buttigieg, a veteran who deployed to Afghanistan, who has criticized President Trump for alluding to war crimes after comments Trump made insinuating that attacking cultural monuments in Iran was justified if the foreign nation attacked the U.S., tweeted "Tonight, Americans in Iraq are under fire. My prayers are with them, their loved ones, and their families."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Americans and our allies are under fire tonight.Let us keep them and their families in our prayers," Patrick said.
"Closely monitoring what is happening in Iraq. We must do all we can to protect our servicemembers and Americans at risk," Klobuchar said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who slammed Trump at a campaign event in New York earlier Tuesday for being "dangerously incompetent" to handle the situation in Iran said "I’m going to hold off on commenting on the news tonight until we know more, but there is one thing I will say: Jill and I are keeping our troops and Americans overseas in our prayers. We hope you’ll keep them in yours."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}