Joe Biden called off airstrike at last minute

The President called off an airstrike on a target inside Syria before the bombing when a woman and two children were spotted there.

The aftermath of the US airstrike last week. Picture: Maxar Technologies via AFP

President Joe Biden called off an airstrike on a target inside Syria 30 minutes before the bombing when a woman and two children were spotted there.

Mr Biden went ahead with one strike last week in retaliation for a rocket attack by Iranian-backed militants in northern Iraq but aborted a second while US F-15E Strike Eagle planes were en route, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The change of plan was advised by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, a former commander of US forces in the Middle East, the only senior member of Mr Biden’s cabinet with military experience.

Mr Biden, 78, wanted to make sure that the first military action of his presidency was viewed in the region as a show of force but not an escalation of hostilities, aides have said.

The US strike was aimed at ­facilities used by Iranian-backed terrorist groups believed to have been involved in an attack on February 15 on Arbil airport that killed a foreign contractor and wounded seven Americans, according to the Pentagon. It was timed for the middle of the night and avoided Iranian and Iraqi territory so as not to appear provocative, officials said. One militia fighter was killed and two injured.

Mr Biden’s decision not to proceed when there was clear intelligence of probable civilian casualties was followed by a secret message to Tehran, the newspaper added, to underline that this was a response designed not to escalate. The Biden administration is hopeful that Tehran will return to compliance with the international nuclear agreement to kickstart talks on a new deal involving the US.

The details emerged as polling suggested that Mr Biden’s honeymoon period with voters was already ending. His approval rating has fallen slightly from 54 per cent to 51 per cent since he took office on January 20, according to Monmouth University, but disapproval rose from 30 per cent during his first week as president to 42 per cent last week.

The pollsters said that the shift came as more Americans formed an opinion of their new president, with “no opinion” answers falling from 16 per cent in late January to 8 per cent.

The US President has yet to deliver a big piece of legislation but is hoping that his $US1.9 trillion ($2.5 trillion) relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan, will be passed this month.

The Times