Operation Inherent Resolve - Normalize
The Naval Rapid Reaction Force will leave the Mediterranean in March 2024 and return home. The USS Bataan and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are expected to begin sailing toward the United States in March, an official told CNN, although the exact timeline for departure is unclear, and the Department of Defense could still... The Pentagon may decide to keep the group in the region if the situation deteriorates quickly. According to the American Network, the Rapid Reaction Force was sent to the Mediterranean at the beginning of the Gaza War because of its ability to carry out amphibious operations and some special operations, as well as training Marines to assist in evacuation operations, but as the war approached its fifth month, it did not materialize. The need to evacuate American citizens.
CNN added that shortly after the October 7 attack, the United States maintained the presence of an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship in the eastern Mediterranean with the aim of “deterring Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon,” from escalating the situation. Already turbulent and risking the outbreak of a broader regional conflict, as she put it. She said, "The expected return of the USS Bataan will mean that the United States does not have a warship capable of operating combat aircraft in the eastern Mediterranean for the first time since October."
Informed sources reported to the American website "Politico" 16 February 2024 that some Arab countries are working to impose restrictions on the ability of the United States to use military bases on its territory to carry out air strikes against resistance movements in the Middle East. The sources reported that these restrictions came as a result of the desire of these countries not to appear too close to the West and Israel to public opinion.
An American official, an assistant to a congressman, and Western officials explained that the rise in the number of civilian casualties in Gaza led some Arab countries to restrict the United States and its allies’ use of their bases to carry out air strikes against resistance movements in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The American official indicated that some Arab countries restrict access to American military bases and the movement of aircraft participating in these strikes.
These leaks came in the context of the recent American attacks on Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, where American and British planes launched air strikes on the Ras Issa area in Yemen. It is noteworthy that the "True Promise Brigades" movement in Iraq had previously announced targeting American bases in Kuwait and the Emirates in response to the crimes of the Zionist entity and the United States.
The United States is planning more military strikes against militias allied with Iran in response to an attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan a week ago, after targeting Iran's allies in three countries in the Middle East, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The initial strikes avoided Iranian territory, but focused on the "Iranian corridor" in Deir ez-Zor Governorate in eastern Syria. It included the areas surrounding the governorate's capital, and the desert area of Al-Mayadeen.
Washington and Tehran sought to avoid a deeper confrontation. The US military has not yet killed any Iranian forces in its strikes in Syria and Iraq, and the US government has given the Iranians ample time to move their forces out of the region, the Wall Street Journal notes. Despite the presence of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps advisors and fighters in the targeted areas, the strikes have not yet killed any Iranian personnel. As long as US strikes in Iraq and Syria avoid killing senior members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Tehran is unlikely to respond in kind. Even the hard-line media in Iran, which is close to the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and the security establishment, refrained from calling for revenge against the American strikes.
Advisors to the Syrian and American government said that some Revolutionary Guard leaders in the eastern countryside of Syria have moved to safe homes in densely populated areas and to the south of the country, where they can easily mix with the Syrian and Russian military forces. In Yemen, about 50 advisors from the Iranian Guard and Lebanese Hezbollah left coastal areas where they were helping with missile and drone attacks on ships heading to Sanaa, the Houthis' de facto capital, according to people familiar with the redeployment process, according to the Wall Street Journal.
US operations may carry "risks" if Iranian-backed groups decide to "retaliate independently of Tehran," which could deepen the growing regional conflict, analysts with experience in security issues in the Middle East region told the Wall Street Journal. “The last thing Biden wants is to get stuck in another quagmire in the Middle East,” said Saeed Golkar, an Iranian researcher at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. In fighting a more technologically advanced enemy, Iran is resorting to a “war of attrition,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
Even if Iran does not retaliate for attacks on its allies, targeted militias may do so, said Hamid Reza Azizi, a visiting fellow and expert on Iran's regional policies at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “They may decide that they need to respond in order to maintain their dignity, and in order to demonstrate effective force,” Azizi added.
For his part, Fouad Izadi, professor of American studies at the University of Tehran, said, “The US army’s strikes on Iraq and Syria provide Iran with a public relations victory.” He added: "If the United States is afraid of attacking Iran, other countries will feel the same way." American strikes on Iraqi forces, some of which are part of the Iraqi security apparatus, also weaken Washington's relations with Baghdad, which is in Iran's interest. Manipulating “undeclared red lines” is dangerous and carries with it the risk of miscalculation and mistakes that could turn a low-intensity conflict into something that could destabilize the region.
There are indications that US strikes may only lead to a temporary slowdown in Iranian-backed militia attacks. Analysts say that while Iran can influence its allies by cutting off military funding and aid, it “has only limited control over them.” Iran-backed militias in Iraq operate within a comprehensive framework dictated by Tehran but also follow their own agenda, and for years have sought to expel American forces from the country as their top priority. At the same time, the Houthis see the confrontation with the United States as a way to legitimize their claim to legitimate leadership of Yemen. How these groups respond to the wave of US strikes will likely determine whether the conflict can be contained, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle , the United States of America sought to prevent the escalation and expansion of the conflict so that it does not become regional. As part of its military and diplomatic support for the Israeli occupation state, Washington sent diplomatic and military messages to elements of the axis of resistance and Iran’s allies in the region urging them not to engage in the battle.
On the Iraqi and Syrian front, on October 21, 2023, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” launched attacks with missiles and drones on American military sites in Syria and Iraq, in response to the American-backed Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. Data issued by both sides show that more than 200 attacks and attempted attacks occurred against American forces and international coalition forces throughout the Middle East by the Axis of Resistance in the past four months, a 20-fold increase compared to the previous four-month period. In the 12 months preceding the events of last October 7, only about 30 similar events were reported in the region.
The United States indicated that its strikes at midnight on February 3 were the beginning of its response to many attacks. The United States has significantly escalated its military activity in the Middle East over the past four months, including retaliatory air strikes as part of more than 60 incidents against members of the Axis of Resistance since October 7.
The US military command in the Middle East (Centcom) said that the strikes against Kataib Hezbollah targeted “headquarters and storage and training sites for missiles, missile projectiles, and explosive drones.” In Iraq, American strikes targeted both Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, which the United States accuses of being behind most of the recent attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria. In Syria, the strikes included armed groups loyal to Iran, Syrian army forces, Revolutionary Guard sites, and the Fatemiyoun Brigade. Official statistics show that the total number of deaths as a result of these air strikes reached 18 people.
With these strikes, the United States seeks to deter these groups in light of the fragile security situation sweeping the region since the seventh of last October. The Biden administration also places these attacks in the context of the pressures on its forces and the international coalition forces to leave Iraq, based on the decisions of the Iraqi Council of Representatives. The Biden administration takes into account the proximity of the US elections and its desire to restore calm to the region before that.
Washington also fears that the “Axis of Resistance” groups will develop their performance and engage more in direct targeting of Israel in light of the continued aggression against Gaza and the possibility of escalation in southern Lebanon. Biden accused the militias supported by Tehran of being behind the attacks, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that the drone that carried out the raid was Iranian-made.
As part of its retaliatory attacks, the United States was keen to avoid launching strikes inside Iranian territory, in addition to not directly accusing Tehran of bearing responsibility for the attacks on the Al-Tanf base and Tower 22 in Jordan. This comes in line with the policy of avoiding major regional escalation. In a statement, the US Secretary of Defense said, "We do not seek to escalate the conflict in the region, but we are fully prepared to take further measures to protect our forces and facilities."
On the other hand, Iran declared a state of high alert and deployed its defense systems along the border with Iraq in anticipation of any potential American attacks. It also called on the armed groups associated with it to disappear and evacuate their positions, and directed that Iranian military commanders and advisors leave their positions in Iraq and Syria, to avoid being targeted by American or Israeli raids.
The delay in the American response for nearly a week also indicates Washington's desire to avoid major human losses among the armed groups and their sites, and the delay in the response gave it sufficient time to evacuate the sites and take the necessary precautions. For its part, the Iranian Foreign Ministry last Saturday "strongly" condemned the American attacks on Iraq and Syria, and considered them a "strategic mistake" that contributes to exacerbating tension and instability in the region. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement, “We strongly condemn the American military attacks on areas in Iraq and Syria,” according to the Iranian Mehr Agency.
Kanaani considered that "the attacks are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria, and a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter." He continued, "In addition to the United States' full support for four months of brutal and continuous Israeli oppression against the residents of Gaza and the West Bank, and the military attacks on Yemen and the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country, last night's attack on Syria and Iraq is a new strategic adventure and mistake by the American government, which contributes to... "The tension and instability in the region have worsened."
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, "Syria condemns this blatant American violation, and categorically rejects all the pretexts and lies promoted by the American administration to justify this attack." The spokesman for the Iraqi Armed Forces, Yahya Rasool, responded in a statement saying, “The strikes are considered a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, and constitute a threat that may drag Iraq and the region into undesirable consequences, and their consequences will be dire for security and stability in Iraq and the region.”
For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) condemned the American attacks on Iraq and Syria, considering them “a dangerous escalation and an attack on the sovereignty of two Arab countries.” The movement said in a statement, "We condemn in the strongest terms the American aggression against both Iraq and Syria, and consider it a dangerous escalation, an infringement on the sovereignty of the two Arab countries, and a threat to their security and the stability of the region." It added that the attack came "in service of the Israeli occupation's expansionist agenda, and to cover up its horrific crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."
The American strikes against the sites of armed groups in Syria and Iraq were disciplined and calculated so as not to lead to a greater escalation, which may push these groups to continue targeting American sites and perhaps develop their attacks to include Israeli targets. After the American attacks, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Syria announced the targeting of Ain al-Asad Air Base in Anbar Governorate, and Al-Harir Air Base in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A missile bombardment also targeted the American base in the Conico gas field, east of Deir ez-Zor Governorate, northeastern Syria. The Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq pledged to respond to the American attacks that targeted its positions and civilian sites in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Al-Nujaba Movement, one of the most active Iraqi factions against American targets, announced that it “will not suspend attacks on the Americans, and will respond to any attack by them.”
“The largest US air operation in the region since 2003, which was presented by Joe Biden as an act of retaliation in response to an attack by an unknown source drone on an American base illegally located in Syria, has no justification,” Russia's Permanent Representative to the Security Council, Vasily Nebenzia said at a UN Security Council meeting. He added: "We see in this muscle-flexing attempt, above all, a desire to influence the internal political situation in America, and a desire to somehow correct the failed image of the current American administration on the international scene in light of the growing momentum of the presidential campaign."
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan knocked critics of Biden as “armchair quarterbacks” and expressed confidence in the steps taken. “We intend to take additional strikes and additional action to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” 04 February 2024. “We are confident in the course that we are on going forward.” Sullivan confirmed that the United States intends to launch further strikes on Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East, in response to the killing of three of its soldiers in Jordan, after the US army launched air strikes. In Iraq and Syria on Friday, more than 85 targets linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and factions supported by Tehran were found. Sullivan considered that "there is no indication that Iran has changed its policy regarding armed groups," warning that "if America continues to see threats and attacks, it will respond to them."
In an interview with Al-Hurra TV, Sullivan described the Iranian role in the Middle East region as “malicious,” stressing that Washington will deal with it “in a clear and direct manner.” Sullivan said, in an interview with the “From Washington” program on the “Al Hurra” channel, which will be broadcast in full at 20:00 GMT, Sunday: “The Iranian factor in the events in the Middle East is real, fundamental, and malicious, and we need to deal with it in a clear and direct way, and we will do that.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in separate statements on the " Fox News Sunday " program that the strikes launched by the United States on Friday evening on Iranian-backed groups were just a "first round" of measures that will continue later. Le Figaro newspaper reported on the delay in US President Joe Biden's retaliation for the killing of his soldiers in Jordan, and said that one of the explanations for the wait-and-see situation may lie in the sensitive negotiations currently taking place between Israel and Hamas, and the escalation of violence will only make it more difficult to conclude the talks in this regard. The Wall Street Journal said 04 February 2024 that the aerial bombardment launched by American forces on the sites of pro-Iranian armed groups in the Middle East may be less effective in calming tensions in the region than an agreement that stops the fighting between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). According to the newspaper’s report, the American retaliatory strikes in response to the killing of 3 American soldiers at a military base in northeastern Jordan were carefully planned to ward off attacks on American forces in the Middle East without pushing Iran into a direct conflict.
Whatever the reaction the bombing provokes, it is unlikely to prevent Iran's allies from launching further attacks against American and Israeli interests. However, analysts and officials in the region that the newspaper spoke to believe that stopping these attacks requires a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip . The American newspaper attributes the reason for igniting the fiery conflict between the United States and the "constellation of militias allied with Iran" to the war that Israel began in the Gaza Strip following the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which came... In response to the ongoing Israeli violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the ongoing incursions into West Bank cities and towns.
There are major obstacles preventing convincing both sides (the Israeli occupation and Hamas) to agree to a deal to stop the war, especially internal divisions in Israel over accepting its terms as they are. Since Israel's invasion of Gaza, Lebanese Hezbollah has also engaged in an exchange of fire on Israel's northern border. The attacks launched by the Iranian -backed Houthis have severely affected international shipping traffic in the Red Sea , which prompted the United States to launch air strikes on the territory controlled by the group in Yemen.
The newspaper pointed out that the war in Gaza, which claimed the lives of 27,000 people - most of them women and children - put the administration of US President Joe Biden under greater pressure to achieve its dual political goal, which is that a ceasefire in Gaza would lead to the release of prisoners. Israelis detained by Hamas. However, the newspaper says that there are major obstacles preventing the two sides from being convinced to agree to the deal, especially internal divisions over accepting its terms as they are.
The US launched strikes on Iranian targets in eastern Syria on 02 February 2024, in the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan. Iraq said 16 people, including civilians, were killed on its soil, and a monitoring group reported 18 people were killed in Syria. CNN quoted a White House official as saying that it would not launch any raids inside Iran. CNN quoted US officials as saying that the military strikes launched by Washington are likely to be the beginning of a wide series targeting "militias supported by Iran." Washington warned of more strikes to deter the Iran-backed “axis of resistance” amid Israel’s war on Gaza. In announcing the overnight attacks, US President Joe Biden said: “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”
US Central Command stated “At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III stated "Following the attack on U.S. and Coalition Forces in northeastern Jordan this past Sunday that killed three U.S. service members, at President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces today conducted strikes on seven facilities, which included more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces. This is the start of our response. The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing. We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces. We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our forces, and our interests."
At least one American B-1 heavy bomber was reported to have left RAF Lakenheath, in the UK, during the evening shortly after strikes were already hitting Syria targets. Director of Operations at the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Douglas Sims, told reporters on Friday that the bomber crews that took off from the United States succeeded in carrying out the flight without stopping. He added that the United States is "really confident" in the accuracy of its strikes on targets.
Sims stressed that the initial assessment indicates that all the targets struck were hit, with “secondary explosions associated with the munitions and logistics sites” targeted by the United States. He pointed out that "we know that there are militants using these sites," and these strikes were carried out with the idea that "there are likely to be people inside these facilities," noting that care was taken to avoid causing "unnecessary injuries or deaths."
The American military official stated that Friday was chosen to carry out the strikes, which represents the “best opportunity” in terms of weather, although American munitions are capable of operating in any circumstance, but “good weather was chosen to ensure that we hit all the right targets.”
American military expert, Mike Lines, pointed out that the use of these bombers indicates that Washington did not only want to launch a warning strike, as it always did against those groups, but rather aimed to strike them forcefully and accurately and cut off their supplies.
Speaking to CNN, Lines said, “It seems they did this because they really wanted to cut off logistical supplies to those groups,” noting that the goal behind these strikes was to disrupt “those groups that extend from Iran through Iraq to Syria.” Lines said that using this type of launcher provides the accuracy necessary to disable these targets.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, "The facilities that were targeted were being used by groups affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to target American forces in the Middle East." Lines commented on this, saying, “From a strategic perspective, this is exactly how it should be. Regardless of sending messages to Iran, American forces must obtain the results they want to obtain,” referring to disrupting the work of armed organizations close to Iran.
He concluded, "The use of B-1 bombers means that the goal is to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of strikes along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Perhaps they will be used to destroy bridges, or do other things that harm these organizations. There appears to be a desire to go behind supply lines to curb their ability to launch attacks."
For its part, the Washington Post quoted American officials as saying that the strikes in Syria and Iraq targeted at least 8 sites. Fox News quoted a defense official that the American strikes were from multiple platforms, and that they were the beginning of a long campaign to target pro-Iranian groups in the coming days.
The New York Times quoted American officials as saying that other strikes will be launched in the coming days, and their scope may expand to include other facilities and militias. A source in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq confirmed that 6 American strikes targeted a number of sites inside Iraq, including a weapons depot. The source explained that the bombing targeted sites from which missiles were launched against American bases.
Sources told Al Jazeera that unidentified aircraft targeted sites south of the city of Al-Mayadeen, noting that the bombing included the areas of Al-Haidariya and Al-Shibli. A local source also said that raids took place in the vicinity of the city of Albukamal, east of Deir ez-Zor, near the Syrian-Iraqi border. For its part, Syrian media reported hearing strong explosions at the American base in the Al-Omar oil field in the Deir ez-Zor countryside. This base was repeatedly subjected to attacks by armed factions described as being supported by Iran.
NBC quoted American officials confirming that the military response to the killing of soldiers may continue for days or weeks. The officials added that the upcoming operation will be Biden's strongest response to the militias that have launched more than 150 attacks on American forces since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
An American official said that Washington had strengthened its defenses on Jordanian soil at a time when it was preparing for a broad response to the attack that led to the killing of 3 American soldiers at a military base in Jordan. The Washington Post quoted the American official as saying that the options being considered by the United States include targets in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
NBC said that Biden asked his national security team whether the response would jeopardize talks on releasing detainees in the Gaza Strip, and that he decided to move forward with response measures after his team reduced concerns about the talks. Biden - who has so far said that he does not want escalation in the Middle East or an open war with Iran - is facing pressure to respond firmly to Tehran.
An RT correspondent in Syria reported that unidentified drones attacked targets in the Al-Mayadeen and Al-Bukamal countryside in eastern Syria, amid reports of an American bombing targeting the headquarters of Iraqi factions in the Al-Sikak area in Al-Qaim. A field source also reported that drones targeted points belonging to the forces supporting the Syrian army in the Al-Mayadeen desert in the Deir ez-Zor countryside in eastern Syria. The source said, “Drones targeted 3 points belonging to the forces supporting the Syrian army south of the city of Al-Mayadeen.” He added, "The planes most likely took off from the American base in the Al-Omar oil field in the Deir ez-Zor countryside."
A field source told Sputnik that warplanes carried out a new targeting of a point belonging to the forces supporting the Syrian army near Ain Ali in the Deir ez-Zor countryside. Meanwhile, an RT correspondent reported that preliminary information indicates that 8 air strikes were launched in the Al-Qaim district in Iraq, near the border with Syria. He explained that reports indicate that an ammunition store belonging to the Iraqi factions was targeted.
Syrian television reported at dawn on Saturday that a number of people were killed and wounded as a result of attacks launched by American aircraft on a number of sites in the desert and the Syrian-Iraqi border. The aircraft carried out 4 rounds of raids on sites of the armed factions in Deir ez-Zor, 3 of them on Al-Mayadeen and one round on Al-Bukamal, while reconnaissance planes are still flying intensively in the region’s airspace.
Directly following the US attacks, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the targeting of the Harir US base with drones in Erbil, declaring that the operation comes in "continuation of our path in resisting the American occupation forces in Iraq and the region, and in response to the massacres committed by the zionist entity against our people in Gaza."
Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement said that it will continue to launch attacks on American forces until the war in Gaza ends and American forces withdraw from Iraq. The movement - which is led by Akram Al-Kaabi and represents one of the main factions in the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” - announced in a statement that “any (American) targeting will face a response that suits it,” stressing, “We will not stop until two things are achieved, namely stopping operations on Gaza and withdrawing the American occupation from Iraq".
The Hezbollah Brigades, which is affiliated with the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq", announced a few days ago that it was suspending its attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria. The Al-Nujaba Movement affirmed, in its statement on Friday, “We respect (this decision) and appreciate it,” but stressed that “the Islamic resistance in Iraq and its other factions will continue with its decision until its demands are met.”
“The attacks are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria, international law, and a clear violation of the United Nations Charter,” said Iraq Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanaani. “In addition to an all-out support of the US for four months of relentless and barbaric attacks by the Zionist regime against the residents of Gaza and the West Bank, and military attacks on Yemen and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, last night’s attacks on Syria and Iraq were another adventurous action and another strategic error by the US government which will have no result but to intensify tensions and instability in the region.... The attacks merely support the goals of the Zionist regime. Such attacks increasingly involve the US government in the region and overshadow the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza.”
“This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss,” the Iraqi government said in a statement, and denied Washington’s claims of coordinating the air raids with Baghdad as “false” and “aimed at misleading international public opinion”. The presence of the US-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”, read the statement from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office. “Iraq reiterates its refusal to let the country be an arena for settling scores,” said government spokesperson Basim Alwadi.
The Iraq parliamentary Defense Committee slammed the attacks as a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and said they weaken security cooperation between Baghdad and Washington. "The Committee calls on the Iraqi government to assume its responsibility to protect fighters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, one of the formations of the Iraqi armed forces, by submitting a formal complaint with the UN Security Council and accelerating the process of reaching an agreement on the withdrawal of US and international coalition troops from Iraq. Their presence in Iraq is destabilizing the situation," it said in a statement. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes served to “inflame the conflict in the Middle East in an extremely dangerous way” and added to Washington’s “record of violations against Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its people, proving once again that it is the main source of global instability”. The military said, “The area targeted by the American attacks in eastern Syria is the same area where the Syrian Arab Army is fighting the remnants of the Daesh [ISIL] terrorist organisation, and this confirms that the United States and its military forces are involved and allied with this organisation, and are working to revive it as a field arm for it both in Syria and Iraq by all dirty means.”
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, yhe coalition of US and Israel-opposed armed groups in Iraq, which had “suspended” its attacks earlier this week, said it launched drones at a US base in Erbil. Iraqi groups also carried out attacks with missiles targeting the al-Tanf military base in Syria which is home to US personnel, as well as the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq.
Hamas stated “We condemn in the strongest terms the American aggression against Iraq and Syria, and consider it a dangerous escalation, an infringement on the sovereignty of the two Arab countries, and a threat to their security and the stability of the region, in service of the occupation’s expansionist agenda and covering up its horrific crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip”.
“Iran’s proxies have played with fire for months and years, and it’s now burning them,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels.
Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, accused Biden of “placating” Tehran after the strikes, and said that “to promote peace, America must project strength”. Johnson stated that the US airstrikes were undercut by the fact that the Biden administration "waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response."
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, questioned the effectiveness of the US bombings. “The aim is to degrade their ability to strike over a longer period of time, albeit at the risk of starting a regional war. This is ultimately a suboptimal strategy. It would be more effective to reduce their interest in striking against the US … The most effective way to shift the interest of these militias is through a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Parsi. “There is no escaping this reality: Nothing in the region is likely to de-escalate unless there is de-escalation in Gaza. Unfortunately, Biden’s approach thus far has been to avoid putting material pressure on Israel for a ceasefire.”
Joshua Landis, associate professor and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Al Jazeera that politicians in Washington are pressuring Biden for a stronger response as the US presidential election looms. “He has to respond, but at the same time he’s made it very clear he does not want to escalate, and that means two things; he can hit Syrians, that’s easy and nobody cares about the Syrian government, but the Americans do care about the Iraqi government.”
After the killing of 3 American soldiers in Jordan as a result of the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip and the targeting of American interests in the region in response to support for Tel Aviv, Washington vowed to respond to the armed factions loyal to Iran that it accuses of the attacks. After the strike carried out by a drone on January 28 against “Burj 22”, a logistical support base in Jordan on the border with Syria, and the killing of 3 American soldiers for the first time in the region since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, In the past, American intelligence services specifically pointed the finger at the " Islamic Resistance in Iraq ," a group of widely influential Iraqi factions with close relations with Tehran.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby hinted that the Iraqi "Hezbollah Brigades," which is considered the most prominent faction in the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," bears responsibility for the attack. The "Islamic Resistance" claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks using drones or missiles on American soldiers in Iraq and Syria who are part of the international coalition against ISIS.
American forces had been subjected to more than 165 attacks since the start of the war on Gaza, which reveals the extent of escalating regional tension. Among the factions that explicitly declared their affiliation with the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" are the Al-Nujaba Movement and the Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades. Washington classifies all of these factions that demand the departure of American forces from Iraq and stand in solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel as “terrorist” organizations. These factions are also part of the Popular Mobilization Forces , an alliance of military groups that are part of the official Iraqi security forces.
Washington had previously bombed sites of Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba in Iraq. American forces said that they struck a "logistical support center for the Popular Mobilization Forces" in central Baghdad. It also targeted the Jurf al-Sakhar area, which is a closed area protected by strict security measures where the activities of armed factions are concentrated and is located 60 kilometers south of Baghdad. It also targeted the Al-Qaim border area, where there is an official crossing point for crossing into Syria, specifically to areas where pro-Iranian factions are located in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor.
Military expert Riyad Qahwaji said that the United States “may seek to strike weapons depots (in Iraq) and areas from which drones are launched, and will try to identify depots that contain missiles.” In Syria, the areas where the Iraqi factions are located are located “mainly” in the eastern side of Syria close to the Iraqi border “in the Deir ez-Zor region (…) in Al-Mayadeen and Al-Bukamal, which are the two largest centers that can be targeted,” according to Qahwaji.
Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, says, “Deir ez-Zor city, the Palmyra desert in central Syria, which has airports from which drones fly, Al-Bukamal and Al-Mayadeen” are potential targets, noting that they are “the areas most (vulnerable) to targeting.” And “perhaps in A later stage, the Aleppo region in northern Syria. Abdul Rahman confirms that “many bases and sites of pro-Iranian fighters have been evacuated” in eastern Deir ez-Zor province. Meanwhile, “a large portion of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers withdrew to Damascus,” he said.
In similar measures in Iraq, an official in an Iranian-backed faction “took measures to confront American threats, by transferring some equipment and evacuating some camps to alternative locations.” Another official said that "some field commanders" had moved to Iran, while others had moved to "safe locations," he said.
Despite Washington's vow of revenge, American officials reiterate that they do not want to reach a "wider war" in the Middle East. Tehran also denied being behind the attack that killed the three American soldiers and wounded dozens, and repeated that it was not seeking escalation. At the end of January, the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades announced the “suspension” of its attacks against the American “occupation forces,” and called on its fighters to “passive defense if any hostile American action occurs toward them,” as it put it. The Hezbollah Brigades statement absolved Iran of responsibility for the attacks, stressing that Tehran “objects to pressure and escalation against the American occupation forces in Iraq and Syria.” The Al-Nujaba Movement issued a statement in which it pledged to continue attacks against American soldiers, and warned that “any (American) targeting will face a response that suits it.”
US Under Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Barbara Leaf criticized the attacks launched by the Iraqi factions and considered that they also constitute an “attack on the sovereignty” of the Iraqi state, and an infringement on its “control over weapons and national and foreign security policies.” She confirmed that this file is subject to “vigorous consultations” with Iraqi officials. The American official called on the Iraqi authorities to control these groups, saying, "We would like to see more action."
The United States deploys 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of what it describes as “fighting ISIS” within the international coalition that was established in 2014. Inherent Resolve “Defeat” campaign phase was terminated effective 01 July 2020. “Normalize” campaign phase was established effective 02 July 2020. OIR transitioned to Phase IV of the campaign, “Normalize.” In this phase, the Coalition largely shifted from hands-on training, developing, and assisting partner forces in both Iraq and Syria to advising and enabling them, mainly remotely, from consolidated bases during operations against ISIS. In Syria, some training of partner forces continues. In Iraq, Coalition efforts focus on reforming and professionalizing Iraqi security institutions and combatting corruption to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.
The United States and Iraq will start talks to end the U.S.-led international military coalition in Iraq and transition to a bilateral partnership, continuing a process that has been stalled by the Israel-Hamas war. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement 25 January 2024 saying the talks would begin "in the coming days." Last August, Iraq and the U.S. committed to the talks, which Austin said would allow a relationship between the two countries to build on the success of Iraq's campaign known as Defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or D-ISIS.
"U.S. military personnel are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve's mission to advise, assist, and enable the Iraqi security forces in their ongoing fight against ISIS. The United States remains committed to a secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq," Austin said. A separate statement from Iraq's Foreign Ministry described the talks as an effort to "initiate the gradual and deliberate reduction" of U.S. military advisors in Iraq. The talks will "formulate a specific and clear timetable that specifies the duration of the presence of international coalition advisors," it said.
But what impact the talks will have on the U.S. military footprint in Iraq is unclear. While some Iraqi government statements seem to suggest a more rapid drawdown of U.S. forces, U.S. officials argue there is no rush. "There's no timeline set," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said, while acknowledging the number of U.S. troops is "something that this working group is going to take a look at." "It will certainly be part of the conversations as it goes forward," she said. "But there are certain conditions that have to be met or certain factors that have to be met in order for both Iraq and the United States to feel that we can ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS."
The Prime Minister in Iraq announced Friday 05 January 2024 that the government had formed a bilateral committee to determine arrangements for ending the mission of the international coalition led by the United States in the country. This came a day after an American strike targeted a leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces in the capital, Baghdad. A statement from the office of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani said, “We are in the process of setting the date for the start of the dialogue through the bilateral committee that was formed to determine the arrangements for the end of this presence, and it is a commitment that the government will not back down from, and will not neglect everything that would complete national sovereignty over the land, sky and waters of Iraq.”
An American strike led to the killing of Talib Ali Al-Saidi, a leader in the Al-Nujaba Movement , which is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces factions. A Pentagon official said that the United States "continues to take measures to protect its forces in Iraq and Syria, and by addressing the threats they face."
Al-Sudani pointed out - during the funeral of the leader of the Al-Nujaba movement - that “Iraq has a strategic partnership agreement and diplomatic relations with Washington, and in this way the main principles of international relations have been violated, and what the United Nations Charter stipulates about equality of sovereignty between countries and the prohibition of the use of force in relations.” International, adding that "Iraq lost a man whose concern throughout his years was for Iraq to be free and independent."
Al-Sudani explained that the region has been living in a tense situation since last October 7, “due to the aggressive and criminal policies practiced by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories.”
Washington had counted more than 115 attacks against its forces in Iraq and Syria since mid-October 2023, days after the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza, according to a new tally reported by an American military official. In December 2023, the United States carried out air strikes in Iraq in response to a drone attack carried out by gunmen, which resulted in the injury of 3 American soldiers, one of whom was seriously injured.
In a related development, a source in the tribal mobilization in Iraq announced that a violent explosion rocked the Al-Baghdadi district near the Ain al-Assad base and caused material civilian damage, an indication of Washington’s intention to continue its attacks despite the official Iraqi condemnation of these attacks.
Coalition forces were consolidated mainly to three major locations in and around Baghdad and Erbil. CJTF-OIR reported that U.S. troops remained at the Union III and Baghdad Diplomatic Security Complex in Baghdad, the al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province, and Erbil Air Base in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region. While the Coalition continued to make changes to the composition of its forces in Iraq during the quarter, plans to reposition forces were complete.
Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said 18 January 2024 that Iraq wants the immediate withdrawal of the US-led foreign forces from his country due to their destabilizing activities. The Iraqi prime minister made the demand during a televised event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Sudani said the “end of the US-led coalition was a necessity for the security and stability of Iraq.... It is also a necessity for preserving constructive bilateral relations between Iraq and the coalition countries.”
The prime minister said it was also necessary to “immediately begin a dialogue, to reach an understanding and a timetable regarding the end of the mission of international advisers.” Elsewhere in his remarks, Sudani lauded sacrifices made by the Iraqi military forces in the fight against terrorism. Longstanding calls by Iraqi factions for the US-led coalition’s departure have gained steam in the wake of a series of US strikes on Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), which are part of Iraq’s security forces.
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani said on 28 December 2023 that his country was moving toward ending the presence of the international coalition against ISIS in the country, days after American strikes on Iraqi sites that Baghdad considered “hostile and a violation of sovereignty.” Al-Sudani said during a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez , in Baghdad, that he discussed in detail during his meeting with Sanchez the situation of the international coalition led by the United States, pointing to the role of the coalition and Spain in supporting Iraq’s efforts to confront ISIS.
He explained that the Iraqi government is in the process of rearranging the relationship in light of capable Iraqi forces, stressing that it is moving towards ending the presence of international coalition forces in Iraq . He added, "We stressed the importance of adhering to the legal mandate granted by previous Iraqi governments for this presence, which must be within the framework of support for the security forces in the areas of training, and must not exceed the limit of carrying out military actions, as they represent an infringement on Iraqi sovereignty, which is unacceptable."
The US Department of Defense said 09 December 2021 its forces in Iraq had ended their combat mission and will instead take on a training and advisory role for the country's military. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the number of US troops in Iraq would not drastically change. The US has about 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq. The formal end of the combat mission is unlikely to change the facts on the ground; the coalition stopped engaging in combat missions early in 2020, and since then, the main US focus has been assisting Iraqi forces. Iraqi Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, deputy commander of the Joint Operations Command for Iraq, said Iraqi forces were ready to take up the fight against ISIL.
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