Florida's Governor continues to deliver mixed signals about the appropriate American role in the Middle East.
In the latest example, DeSantis told Fox News viewers that American troops deployed to Syria are "sitting ducks," and that there either needs to be more of them or none at all.
"It seems to me we've got troops there. It's not clear to me that we have enough troops to really make an impact with whatever they're trying to do. And yet we have enough troops to where they're going to be able to be targets. And so they're kind of sitting ducks there," DeSantis said on Friday's "Fox and Friends."
DeSantis was reacting to reports that American fighter jets bombed Syrian sites that were said to be linked to Iran, widely held to be a principal sponsor of terror in the region.
The Governor has no access to intelligence briefings, but he has more to say about troops in the region.
"Now, I'm not sure Biden's policy with how he's deploying those troops is the right one. He's not really articulated why that's there. It seems like the risks are better than the benefits in terms of that," DeSantis added.
The Governor continues to get to the right and the left of Biden on military aid to Israel and U.S. interests in the region, seemingly depending on the day.
On Thursday, the Governor announced that his administration sent cargo planes with drones, helmets, and other accessories of war to Israel, including privately-funded weapons and ammunition. It was eventually revealed that unnamed parties in the Israeli government brokered the deal, per the Associated Press.
Yet despite the unusual optics of a state functioning in bilateral military cooperation with a foreign nation, DeSantis has also said America should not get "enmeshed" in Israel's war.
"I think that we have to be careful about getting enmeshed in a war in the Middle East, partially because China is really going to take advantage of this situation and you just find yourself $33 trillion in debt as it is (with) a very weakened defense industrial base," DeSantis said on Newsmax Monday night.
During a NewsNation interview last week, he was asked specifically about "Special Forces," and while the Governor didn't rule that out either, he stressed that any U.S. military entanglement would be "classified and secret."
"Or others who can be involved in hostage rescue attempts and there may be something where this is being done by Israel and that wouldn't be necessary," DeSantis said. "All that, of course, would be something that would be classified and secret, as it should be."
Though DeSantis left the door open to the American military being engaged in "hostage rescue attempts," he stressed then that any engagement should be in a limited, support role, and that "you wouldn't see ground troops fighting in Israel if I were President."
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Content from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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