The short answer is yes. American embassies and their consulates abroad are considered United States soil and typically placed in the capital city of the hosting country. The host country cannot enter without permission, according to the State Department. Consulates are smaller branches of the embassy and have the same special privileges as well.
The purpose of placing an embassy in another country is valuable and essential to the interest of the United States. By having an established sovereign commission in a country, Americans have a place to go when they are traveling or living abroad. There are also the United States Foreign Service Officers who work in an embassy or consulate that can interview citizens of the host country before allowing them to enter stateside.
Embassies report directly back to the State Department, notifying the staff of any economic or political issues that may directly affect the United States.
Given that no one from the host country can enter a United States embassy without permission shows that embassies and their consulates are sovereign United States soil. If an attack occurs on these, it should be considered a direct attack on stateside American soil.
Leftists and Democrats cannot seem to figure that out. On December 31, 2019, there was an attack on our embassy located in Baghdad, Iraq. Iranian terrorists orchestrated it at the behest of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani. President Trump retaliated with a pinpoint missile attack on Soleimani, killing him along with five other high-ranking personnel.
The Left is outraged that the United States showed power and a backbone when President Trump ordered a strike on Soleimani. Soleimani was the one who ordered an assault on an American embassy, funded other terrorist proxies, and is responsible for the death of American military personnel; however, the Left conveniently ignores that. They are disingenuous in their account of what led to the increased tensions between the United States and Iran. Democrats speak on television as if Trump decided one day that he wanted to start a conflict with Iran because of impeachment – which has not been sent over to the Senate. The Democrats' actions are not only negligent but highly dangerous.
When the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked Obama and Hillary Clinton moved slowly. The assault was on September 11, 2012, slightly less than two months before Obama's election for a second term, causing a political problem.
Democrats are outraged since they were not notified of the impending retaliation strike. The Left ignores that the embassy is American soil. Instead, hatred is being heaped on Trump while Hollywood actress Rose McGowan even apologized to Iran.
The Left does not seem to mind that we were attacked. No one seems to be happy that one of the most prolific leaders of terrorism is dead.
The United States is the beacon of freedom and liberty. We carry the title of "The World's Force for Good," but that cannot happen if we allow attacks on us and do not stand up against evil.
As Edmund Burke once said, "All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Burke's quote applies directly to the attack on our embassy.
The Left is content with sending money over to Iran to keep them quiet, like giving candy to a child that does not want to eat their vegetables. Now, Trump has taken away the candy and is making them eat veggies, and the leftists are mad.
The Democrats' resistance to Trump is why Congress was not notified and should not have been.
Our embassies all over the world are an extension of America. They represent our values and our willingness to learn about other cultures. There is no difference in terrorists attacking a location stateside than what happened in Benghazi, Libya, or Baghdad, Iraq. Just because Democrats hate Trump and resist him at every turn does not mean that our enemy nations can assault us when they want, and nothing will happen.
John Dempsey is a graduate of American Military University and has a deep understanding of law enforcement issues and how they relate to the Constitution, society and our culture. He’s been published in BearingArms.com and AmericanThinker.com. He can be followed on Twitter @John_Demp83.