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Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation supported the U.S. drone strike against Qassem Soleimani, portraying the Iranian military leader Friday as a deadly and destabilizing force in the Middle East.

Lawmakers also backed the administration's decision to increase U.S. troop levels in the region.
 
Enmity between the countries is nothing new, according to 1st District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro and a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

After the fall of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the rise of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran targeted Americans, seizing the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and holding diplomats and others hostage for 444 days.

Attempts to undermine U.S. interests and foment unrest never halted, Crawford said.

Thursday's deadly attack wasn't the start of the conflict; it was simply a continuation, he said.

With the death of Soleimani, a new phase may be beginning, he suggested.

"Is this going to heat up? Yes," he said.

Still, the world is better off following Soleimani's exit, Crawford said.

"He was a key enabler in Iran's ongoing malign influence in the region, their military activity in the region, their anti-American activities globally. I don't lament the loss of Soleimani at all, but I am aware that it probably is going to escalate tensions even further. But let's not kid ourselves. We've essentially been at war with Iran since 1979."

Fourth District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman portrayed Soleimani as a violent man who died a violent death.

"He was not only a bad actor but he was one that was constantly on the offensive," the Republican from Hot Springs said. "He's been stirring up stuff in the Middle East for a long time and most of it has been contrary to U.S. interests over there and, I think, to world interests."

Asked whether the White House should have consulted with Democratic congressional leaders before unleashing the missiles, Westerman said prior consultation was unnecessary.

"I think this was perfectly within the administration's realm of responsibility to make those kinds of calls and I don't know what Congress could have added to the conversation," he said.

Given the rising threat levels, beefing up U.S. troop levels makes sense, 3rd District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said.

"The president, in my judgment, and his advisers are well advised to take the precautions necessary to ensure that America and America's interests are protected," the Republican from Rogers said.

While Soleimani wasn't a household name in the U.S., he was well-known within the intelligence community.

"I can't tell you how many classified briefings I've been in where his name surfaced," Womack said. "Just what we knew about him was enough. Then there's what we don't know. He brought terror to thousands of innocent people."

The death of Soleimani will put other American enemies on notice, Womack suggested. "We learned painfully that appeasement does not work against this ideology, that the only language they understand is force. The world is just a little bit safer because of this strike."

Second District U.S. Rep. French Hill said Thursday's strikes were necessary to prevent further bloodshed.

"Soleimani, in my view, ranks up there with Osama bin Laden or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," the Little Rock Republican said.

Bin Laden was behind the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001; U.S. forces killed him in 2011. Al-Baghdadi led the Islamic State; U.S. forces eliminated him in October.

"Soleimani was absolutely in the same camp," Hill said.

The Iranian was a military officer, and he was killed while conspiring to commit further bloodshed, Hill said.

In a written statement Friday, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Rogers, said Thursday's strike "brought justice and saved lives."

"As Iran's master terrorist, Qassem Soleimani was directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as innocent civilians in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and beyond. The region would never be safe or stable as long as he was free to orchestrate mayhem," he said. "While many of my colleagues may debate the President's decision, there is no debate that eliminating Soleimani makes the world a safer place."

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton was not available for comment Friday, a spokesman said.

But in a written statement Thursday evening, he voiced support for the strike.

"America is safer now after Soleimani's demise," the Dardanelle Republican said.

While Republican lawmakers were praising Thursday's outcome, some of their Democratic opponents were questioning the wisdom of the attack.

State Sen. Joyce Elliott of Little Rock, who is challenging Hill in the 2nd District, described Soleimani as "evil."

Still, she questioned the "seeming lack of thought and consultation" that preceded his killing.

In a written statement, she warned that "outrage unbalanced by serious contemplation of the consequences most often leads to poor decisions and unexpected outcomes. In this case I am deeply concerned about the safety of our military women and men and their families; our diplomats and Americans abroad in general. Pres. Trump owes the American people a full-throated rationale for his order to kill and a clear-eyed assessment of what to expect now."

Celeste Williams, the Bella Vista-area Democrat challenging Womack in the 3rd District, asked whether the military action had made Americans safer.

"My hope is that the Trump Administration gave this decision the solemn consideration it was due," she said in a written statement. "Our service men and women are our most valuable resource and any decision that places them in danger must not be made recklessly. Our resources should be utilized to reduce the cost of healthcare, increase prescription drug coverage, improve job training, and provide affordable higher education rather than on endless wars in the Middle East."

Michael Kalagias of Garfield, the Libertarian seeking to unseat Womack, questioned the wisdom of current U.S. policy.

"Our troops have been fighting in the Middle East (I deployed there twice) for most of our lifetimes, though Congress has never declared war to permit it," he said in a written statement. "Thousands of Americans have died needlessly in this power struggle. Hundreds of thousands of others have met the same fate. It needs to end."

Information for this article was contributed by Doug Thompson of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.