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☆ US Airstrikes in Iraq Killed 16 Including Civilians -Iraqi PM's Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sixteen people were killed, among them civilians, and 25 injured in overnight U.S. airstrikes on pro-Iran targets in Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said on Saturday. In a statement, it condemned the strikes as a "new aggression against Iraq's sovereignty" and denied that they were coordinated by the Baghdad government beforehand with Washington, calling such assertions "lies". The presence of the U.S.-led military coalition in the region "has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts", the statement added. (Reporting by Timur Azhari, Enas Alashray, Adam Makary; editing by Mark Heinrich)War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Timur Azhari, Enas Alashray, Adam Makary, Mark Heinrich Organizations: U.S Locations: CAIRO, Iran, Iraq, Baghdad, Washington, U.S, Israel, Gaza

☆ US, UK carry out series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US and UK have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen from air and surface platforms — including fighter jets. Earlier Saturday, the US struck six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles before they were launched toward the Red Sea, US Central Command said. Almost exactly 24 hours after the first US weapons hit their targets in Iraq and Syria, the US carried out more strikes in Yemen. Saturday’s strikes are the third time in recent weeks the US and UK attacked Houthi targets as part of a joint operation. Less than two weeks later, the US and UK struck another eight sites.

Persons: Biden, John Kirby, Lloyd Austin Organizations: CNN, Command, ” National Security, Defense, Pentagon, US Locations: Yemen, Sea, Tehran, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Red, Aden, UK

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military has launched strikes on dozens of sites manned by Iran-backed fighters in western Iraq and eastern Syria in retaliation for a drone strike in Jordan in late January that killed three U.S. service members and wounded dozens. A deadly strike on the desert outpost known as Tower 22 in Jordan near the Syrian border further increased tensions. The Euphrates River cuts through Syria into Iraq, with U.S. troops and American-backed Kurdish-led fighters on the east bank and Iran-backed fighters and Syrian government forces to the west. He said the strikes also hit an area inside the town of Mayadeen known as “the security quarter.”Iraqi government spokesperson Bassim al-Awadi said the border strikes killed 16 people and caused “significant damage” to homes and private properties. There have been no new attacks by the Houthis since the U.S. strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Guard’s, Ali, Ein Ali, Deir, Rami Abdurrahman, Omar Abu Layla, Bassim, Awadi, PMF Organizations: Hamas, U.S, Guard’s Quds Force, Human Rights, Popular Mobilization Force, Houthis Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, U.S, Tehran, Deir el, Hassakeh, American, Kurdish, Syrian, Iranian, Guard’s Quds, Boukamal, Quriya, Mayadeen, Britain, Europe, IRAN, Washington, Gaza, Iraqi, Irbil, Yemen

☆ No Attack Detected on Iraq's Al-Harir Air Base Hosting US Forces -Security Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) -No attack on the al-Harir air base hosting U.S. forces in northern Iraq was detected on Saturday, three security sources told Reuters, shortly after Islamic Resistance in Iraq militants claimed to have targeted the base. On Friday, the U.S. military launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the militias it backs, in retaliation for last weekend's drone attack in northeastern Jordan that killed three U.S. troops. Since the Israel-Hamas war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza began in October, the U.S. military has come under attack at least 100 times in Iraq and Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones. (Reporting by Timour Azhari and Enas Alashray; editing by Mark Heinrich)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Persons: Timour Azhari, Mark Heinrich, Thomson Organizations: Reuters, Iraq, U.S ., Revolutionary Guard, Thomson Reuters Locations: CAIRO, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Gaza

☆ US starts retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-linked targets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In Syria, the strikes killed 23 people who had been guarding the targeted locations, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organization that reports on war in Syria. The White House said the United States had informed Iraq ahead of strikes. Baghdad later accused the United States of deception, saying a U.S. claim of coordination with the Iraqi authorities was "unfounded". The Syrian foreign ministry said the United States was fueling conflict in the region in a "very dangerous way". Britain called the United States its "steadfast" ally and said it supports Washington's right to respond to attacks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Joe Biden's, Nasser Kanaani, Rami Abdulrahman, Douglas, Sims, Chip Somodevilla, General Douglas Sims, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Ebrahim Raisi, Radek Sikorski Organizations: Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, AFP, Getty, United, Revolutionary Guard, U.S, Syrian, Human Rights, Chiefs, Capitol Visitors Center, Joint Staff, Pentagon, U.S . Defense Locations: Maryland, United States, Iraq, Syria, U.S, Iran, Israel, Gen, Washington ,, Tehran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraqi, Baghdad, Washington, Britain, Polish, Brussels

☆ In Gaza, We Can’t Justify This Much Suffering - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a whip-smart 10-year-old girl in Gaza who speaks good English, displays a radiant smile and seemed to have a bright future. Instead, she’s lying in a hospital bed with a badly infected wound in her thigh from a bomb blast. “She was supposed to be in Japan,” said Dr. Samer Attar, an orthopedic surgeon who cared for the girl and told me about her. Dr. Attar said the girl needed an amputation at the hip to save her life. Her dad, struggling to come to terms with how his and his daughter’s lives have collapsed, is resisting for now.

Persons: There’s, ”, Samer Attar, Attar, Iraq —, Dr Organizations: Northwestern University School of Medicine, Rahma Locations: Gaza, Japan, Aleppo, Syria, Ukraine, Iraq

☆ U.S. Strikes Test Iran’s Will to Escalate
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( David E. Sanger | Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Iran and the United States assessed the damage done by American airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, the initiative suddenly shifted to Tehran and its pending decision whether to respond or take the hit and de-escalate. The expectation in Washington and among its allies is that the Iranians will choose the latter course, seeing no benefit in getting into a shooting war with a far larger power, with all the risks that implies. In response to a drone attack by an Iran-backed militia that killed three American soldiers on Jan. 28, the United States hit back against that group and several other Iran-backed militias on Friday night with 85 targeted strikes. In the aftermath, American officials insisted there was no back-channel discussion with Tehran, no quiet agreement that the U.S. would not strike directly at Iran. “There’s been no communications with Iran since the attack,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters in a call on Friday night after the retaliatory strikes were completed.

Persons: —, “ There’s, ” John Kirby Organizations: National Security Council Locations: Iran, United States, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, Washington, U.S

☆ Hamas deploys police, distributes funds in sign of resurgence in Gaza areas Israeli troops have left
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A Hamas fighter aims an RPG, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza, in this still image taken from video released on Jan. 31, 2024. Israel has said it's determined to crush Hamas militarily and prevent it from returning to power in Gaza, an enclave it has ruled since 2007. In recent days, Israeli forces renewed strikes in the western and northwestern parts of Gaza City, including in areas where some of the salary distributions were reported to have taken place. Four Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that in recent days, uniformed and plainclothes police officers deployed near police headquarters and other government offices, including near Shifa Hospital, the territory's largest. Ahmed Abu Hadrous, a Gaza City resident, said Israeli warplanes struck the area where the makeshift office is located multiple times earlier this week, including Saturday morning.

Persons: Israel, Saeed Abdel, Ahmed Abu Hadrous, Hijazi, Abu Yousef al, Khan Younis, Qatar — Organizations: Hamas, Associated Press, AP, Health Ministry, United Nations, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza City, Gaza, Shifa, Gaza's, Rafah, Egypt, Jeneina, Hams, United States, Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan

☆ U.S. Carrying Out New Strikes in Yemen, US Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Phil Stewart and Idrees AliWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States launched a series of strikes against Iran-linked targets in Yemen on Saturday, three U.S. officials told Reuters, in what appeared to be a second day of retaliatory operations following a deadly attack on American troops last weekend. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details on the locations being struck, but two of them said there were dozens of targets. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThe Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians as Israel strikes Gaza. The United States has previously carried out more than 10 strikes against Houthi targets in the past several weeks, but they have failed to stop attacks by the group. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Persons: Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali WASHINGTON, Idrees Ali, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United, Reuters, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S Locations: United States, Iran, Yemen, Al, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Yemen's Iran, Red, Israel, Gaza

☆ U.S. and U.K. Launch Heavy Strikes on Houthi Sites in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Eric Schmitt | Helene Cooper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States and Britain carried out large-scale military strikes on Saturday against multiple sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi militants, according to a statement from the two countries and six allies, as the Biden administration continued its reprisal campaign in the Middle East targeting Iran-backed militias. The attacks against 36 Houthi targets at 13 sites in northern Yemen came barely 24 hours after the United States carried out a series of military strikes against Iranian forces and the militias they support at seven sites in Syria and Iraq. American and British warplanes, as well as Navy Tomahawk cruise missiles, hit deeply buried weapons storage facilities; missile systems and launchers; air defense systems; and radars in Yemen, the statement said. Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support, which officials said included intelligence and logistics assistance. “These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners, and are in response to a series of illegal, dangerous and destabilizing Houthi actions since previous coalition strikes,” the statement said, referring to major attacks by the United States and Britain last month.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Houthi, Iranian, British, Navy Locations: States, Britain, Yemen, Iran, United States, Syria, Iraq, Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand

☆ U.S. Launches Retaliatory Strikes in Iraq, Syria; Nearly 40 Reported Killed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

The White House said the United States had informed Iraq ahead of strikes. Baghdad later accused the United States of deception, saying a U.S. claim of coordination with the Iraqi authorities was "unfounded". The Syrian foreign ministry said the United States was fuelling conflict in the region in a "very dangerous way". The United States has assessed that the drone that killed the three soldiers and wounded more than 40 other people in Jordan was made by Iran, U.S. officials have told Reuters. Iranian advisers assist armed groups in both Iraq, where the United States has around 2,500 troops, and Syria, where it has 900.

Persons: Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Timour Azhari, Joe Biden's, Nasser Kanaani, Rami Abdulrahman, General Douglas Sims, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Ebrahim Raisi, Radek Sikorski, Jordan, Roger Wicker, Enas Alashray, Adam Makary, Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Tom Perry, Frances Kerry Organizations: United, Revolutionary Guard, U.S, Syrian, Human Rights, Joint Staff, Pentagon, U.S . Defense, Reuters, Republican, Senate Armed Services Committee Locations: Timour Azhari WASHINGTON, BAGHDAD, United States, Iraq, Syria, U.S, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraqi, Baghdad, Washington, Britain, Polish, Brussels, Al, Jordan

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that 23 people, all rank-and-file fighters, were killed. The air assault was the opening salvo of U.S. retaliation for a drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend. The U.S. has blamed that on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias. Iran, meanwhile, has attempted to distance itself from the attack, saying that the militias act independently of its direction. On Friday, the USS Carney shot down a drone over the Gulf of Aden and there were no injuries or damage.

Persons: Hussein, Washington “, ” Mosawi, Rami Abdurrahman, Bassim, Awadi, embassy’s, “, —, Yemen’s, Carney, Dwight D, Abby Sewell, Bassem, Jon Gambrell, Tara Copp Organizations: Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Associated Press, Human Rights, U.S, Population Mobilization Forces, Islamic, Popular Mobilization Forces, Israel, U.S . military’s Central Command, U.S . Navy, Eisenhower Locations: BAGHDAD, United States, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Baghdad, U.S, Britain, Jordan, Iran, Iraqi, Islamic State, Gaza, Aden, Red, Beirut, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ U.S. and Britain strike Yemen's Houthis in a new wave, retaliating for attacks by Iran-backed militants
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Yemen's Houthi followers take part in a tribal parade held against the United States-led aerial attacks launched on sites in Yemen, and solidarity with Palestinians, on January 22, 2024, near Sana'a, Yemen. The Defense Department said the strikes targeted sites associated with the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems and radars. Saturday's strikes marked the third time the U.S. and Britain had conducted a large joint operation to strike Houthi weapon launchers, radar sites and drones. Iran has tried to distance itself from the drone strike, saying the militias act independently of its direction. Mosawi said the targeted sites in Iraq were mainly "devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of the attack."

Persons: Yemen's, Dwight D, Lloyd Austin, Eisenhower, Carney, Hope, Bab, Jordan, Hussein, Mosawi, Rami Abdurrahman, Bassim, Awadi Organizations: Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Eisenhower, USS Carney, Associated Press, Defense Department, U.S, Human Rights, Islamic, Iraq, Israel Locations: United States, Yemen, Sana'a, Britain, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, U.S, Gulf of Aden, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Washington, Tehran, Sanaa, SABA, al, Gulf, Aden, Africa, Suez, Mandeb, Iranian, Baghdad, Gaza, Iraqi

☆ Opinion: The problem with the US bombing strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Biden administration has also repeatedly said it doesn’t want to go to war with Iran. To tamp down the possibility of a wider regional war, the US needs to focus its efforts on addressing the underlying cause of this roiling conflict: the continued war in Gaza. Previous US strikes have failed to deter Iran and its proxies. It’s possible that US cyber-attacks in Iran could damage key elements of Iranian military command and control structures, but these kinds of attacks can take many weeks to prepare. This article has been updated to reflect the strikes on Houthi targets on Saturday.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Biden, Joe Biden, “, Houthis, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Let’s, Sayf al, Carl von Clausewitz, Lloyd Austin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, White House, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, United, Adl, Prussian, Hamas, UNRWA Locations: New America, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Yemen, Baghdad, Iran’s, Afghanistan, Tehran, United Nations, East, Lebanon, Israel

The US said the attack lasted 30 minutes, hitting 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria. In 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill recognizing the PMU as a government entity operating alongside the Iraqi military. A screengrab from a video, geolocated by CNN to the town of Qaim, Iraq, shows the aftermath of US military strikes in the area, according to the Iraqi Military. Iraq and Syria condemned the US attack as infringements on their sovereignty that risk fueling regional conflict. “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world,” Biden said in a statement Friday, following the strikes on Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Joe Biden, –, Biden, Kennedy Ladon Sanders, Sanders, Matt Rourke, Qaim, Turki Al, John Kirby, Washington, ”, SANA, Kirby, Douglas Sims, “, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Jack Reed, Lloyd Austin, ” Biden, Charles Lister, ” Lister, Ebrahim Raisi Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Army, US Army, Dover Air Force Base, House, Hezbollah, Al, US National Security, Syrian, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iraq’s Armed Forces, United Nations Charter, Republican, Senate Armed, US, Coalition Forces, Austin, Middle East Institute, Iraq Locations: United States, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Delaware, Iraqi, Al, ” Syria’s, Deir Ezzor, Gen, Qaim, ” Syria, Washington ,, Tehran

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Strikes Over 85 Targets at 7 Sites in Iraq and Syria Against Iran’s Forces and Proxies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Image Pro-government Iranians gathering near a banner that warns Iran’s enemies — in Farsi and in Hebrew — to “Prepare your coffins,” this month in Tehran. Credit... Arash Khamooshi for The New York TimesIran projects its military power through dozens of armed groups across the Middle East, but how much does it control their actions? Iranian rhetoric, echoed by its allied groups, often goes further, calling for the elimination of the Israeli state. A 2020 U.S. Department of State report estimated that Iran’s support for Hezbollah was $700 million annually at that time. They’re not Iran’s stooges.”Much the same could be said of other groups.

Persons: —, Arash Khamooshi, Israel, Michael Knights, Hisham al, “, Mohammed al, Sulami, ”, Vivian Nereim Organizations: Pro, The New York Times, United States, Sunday, U.S, Pentagon, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, . Department of State, Washington Institute, AK, United Nations Locations: Tehran . Credit, The New York Times Iran, United, Iranian, Jordan, Tehran, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, U.S, Eastern, Suez, United States, Israel, Yemeni, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic

Roughly 40,000 American troops are stationed across the Middle East, mostly in countries with close ties to the United States. There were more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq alone in 2007, during the war that followed the U.S. invasion. Image Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq in 2019. Credit... Nasser Nasser/Associated PressWhy are so many troops there? A military coalition led by the United States, including forces in Syria and Iraq, defeated it. President Biden has retaliated with attacks on Iran-aligned militants, hitting groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Persons: Jan, Al, Nasser Nasser, Biden, Israel —, Al Tanf, ” Gen, Hossein Organizations: U.S, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Hezbollah, Army, Air Force, Washington, Operations, Navy’s, U.S . Central Command, Associated, Islamic, U.S ., Pentagon, ”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps Locations: Jordan, Iraq, United States, State, U.S, Al Asad Air, Iraq’s, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Azraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, China, American, Islamic State, Mosul, Raqqa, Israel, Yemen

I’ve witnessed scores of dignified transfers as a former Air Force autopsy photographer assigned to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The process is purposefully methodic, but it never becomes easier for anyone, especially the fallen service members’ families. At the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq when I was stationed there, we handled several dignified transfers a week. Items that the fallen service members had with them when they died are gathered, organized and photographed. All service members who die while on active duty have the option of being buried at Arlington National Cemetery, but the decision is up to their family members.

Persons: I’ve, ’, Biden Organizations: Air Force, Armed Forces Medical, Dover Air Force Base, Reserve, Arlington National Cemetery, Mr Locations: Delaware, Afghanistan, Iraq, Arlington

☆ Governing body backs one of world’s top referees amid fallout from controversial Asian Cup red card
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Football Australia says it is providing an Iranian-Australian referee and his family with “all the support they require” over the fallout from an Asian Cup match. Iraq had just taken a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute when Hussein was shown a red card by Faghani. “Aymen Hussein excessively delayed the restart of the game after scoring a goal in the 75th minute,” an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) statement said. “During the player’s celebrations, the referee strongly warned Aymen Hussein three times before finally showing him the second yellow card. Alireza Faghani shows Aymen Hussein a red card.

Persons: Alireza, Aymen Hussein, Jordan, Hussein, “ Aymen Hussein, “, Hussain Al Khurasani, Thaier, Reuters “, ” Al Khurasani, Aymen, Faghani, ” Organizations: CNN — Football Australia, Iranian, Faghani, Asian Football Confederation, AFC, Jordan, CNN, Reuters, . Football Australia, -, Football Australia Locations: Australian, Iraq, Iraqi, Iran, Australia

☆ US forces hammered dozens of IRGC and Iran-backed militia targets with 125 bombs in retaliation for the drone attack that killed American troops
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The military action comes days after a drone attack killed US troops in Jordan. AdvertisementThe US military on Friday began strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, a US defense official told Business Insider. AdvertisementThe White House immediately blamed Iran-backed militias for the deadly incident and vowed revenge. The recent drone attack could have been an attempt to undermine the US hold in eastern Syria and to open arms smuggling routes through Jordan to the West Bank. AdvertisementSome US lawmakers have called for the Biden administration to take aggressive military action in retaliation for the Jan. 28 drone attack, including conducting strikes inside Iran itself.

Persons: —, CENTCOM, Joe Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Washington, John Kirby, they're, Biden Organizations: Service, Business, US Central Command, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force, US, Coalition, Pentagon, Defense, National Security, Institute for, West Bank Locations: Iran, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, United States, Tehran, East, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Hamas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has bolstered defenses at a base in Jordan that was attacked by Iran-backed militants as it prepares for a wider U.S. response to a drone attack that killed three service members, a U.S. official said Friday. Even as a larger U.S. military response seemed imminent, some Iran-backed factions pledged to continue to attack U.S. forces in the region. A second U.S. official confirmed the military had taken self-defense strikes inside Yemen against Houthi military targets deemed an imminent threat. The U.S. options under consideration include targets in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, where the Iranian-made drone that killed the service members was fired from, the official said. The U.S. has blamed the Jordan attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias.

Persons: Harakat, Jordan, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, CQ Brown, Defense SecretaryAustin, ” Austin, Austin, ”, Aamer Mahdani, Abdulrahman Zeyad, Ahmed al, Haj Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Joint Chiefs, Dover Air Force Base, Defense, Hezbollah, Washington , D.C Locations: Jordan, Iran, U.S, The U.S, Yemen, Red, Yemeni, Hajjah, Sanaa, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Delaware, Iranian, Iraqi, backchannels, Washington ,, Baghdad

☆ Iraq's Nujaba Says It Will Continue Attacks on U.S. Forces
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Nujaba said on Friday it will continue launching attacks on U.S. forces in the region until the Gaza war ends and U.S. forces exit Iraq, days after another major Iran-backed group said it was suspending such attacks. Iraq's shadowy Kataib Hezbollah said on Tuesday it would pause attacks on U.S. forces, a decision that followed the killing of three U.S. soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan near the Syrian border that Washington blamed on Iran-back militants. Part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance," the umbrella group has claimed more than 150 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the Gaza war began. In 2020, the U.S. killed Iran Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike at Baghdad airport. The strike came days after the U.S. blamed Kataib Hezbollah for the killing of a U.S. contractor.

Persons: Nujaba, Akram al, Ebrahim Raisi, Iran Quds, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al, Kataib, Timour Azhari, Jana Choukeir, Michael Georgy, Nick Macfie Organizations: IRI, Iran, Iran Quds Force Locations: BAGHDAD, Iran, U.S, Gaza, Iraq, Jordan, Washington, Syria, Israel, Tehran, Baghdad, Dubai

The Bidens will attend a “dignified transfer” as the remains of the troops killed in the overnight assault Sunday return to U.S. soil. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will join the Bidens for the transfer in Dover, where such events take place when U.S. servicemembers are killed in action. Friday will be the second dignified transfer Biden attends as president. In August 2021, he took part in the ritual for the 13 servicemembers killed during the suicide bombing in Kabul. As vice president, Biden in 2016 attended a dignified transfer for two U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide blast at Bagram Airfield.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, servicemembers, Lloyd Austin, William Jerome Rivers, Kennedy Sanders, Waycross, Breonna Moffett, Moffett, ” Biden, Biden, Rivers, Sanders, Jerome, Tara Copp Organizations: Dover Air Force Base, U.S, Defense, Sunday, Navy, Capitol, Army, Army Reserves, Army Reserve, Defense Department, Pentagon, Hezbollah, White, Press Locations: WILMINGTON, Del, Jordan, U.S, Dover, Georgia, William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Sgt, Savannah, Sanders, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Moffett, Rivers, Fort Moore, New Jersey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kabul, airport’s, Syria

The U.S. on Friday began its widely anticipated response to a drone attack that killed three American service members over the weekend with military strikes on sites used by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria. Strikes were carried out on dozens of targets across Iraq and Syria and involved manned and unmanned aircraft, according to the Associated Press. The Biden administration promised a response to the drone strike over the weekend that also injured dozens of American personnel in Jordan. The U.S. attributed the deadly drone strike to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias. Iran this week threatened to “decisively respond” to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Amir Saeid Iravani, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin, al Thani Organizations: Associated Press, Army Reserve, U.S, Islamic, United Nations, White House, Qatari Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, The U.S, Israel, Islamic Republic, Republic, Qatar

☆ The U.S. Conducted Retaliatory Strikes in Iraq and Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

American forces today carried out a series of military strikes against Iranian forces and the militias that they back in half a dozen sites in Syria and Iraq. The assaults, targeting command centers, weapons facilities and bunkers used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force and affiliated militia groups, made good on President Biden’s promise to respond to a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday that killed three American soldiers and injured at least 40 more service members. We have live updates. The U.S. military is seeking to use the strikes to send a message to Iran and its allied militias that continued attacks on U.S. troops in the region, and international ships in the Red Sea, will draw a response. Still, the Biden administration says it does not want the proxy war underway with Iran to become more significant than it already is.

Persons: Biden’s, Biden Organizations: Iranian, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force Locations: Syria, Iraq, Jordan, U.S, Iran, Red

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