Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

White House waited for GOOD WEATHER to launch strikes on Iraq and Syria to avoid 'unnecessary casualties': B-1 bombers flew from US and dropping 125 missiles on seven targets in 30 minute blitz deemed a 'success'

2024-02-03

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]

The U.S. military launched major airstrikes on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday, in response to the January 28 deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan

Joe Biden on Tuesday said he had already decided on the response to the Iranian-backed aggression: Iran warned the US not to attack its territory

Friday's strikes were authorized when it became apparent that there would be clear skies, to ensure precision in the bombing

The Pentagon unleashed its first wave of bombs on Iranian-backed militias on Friday because the clear skies provided an accurate target, with 85 targets being hit in Iraq and Syria during the course of a 30-minute raid.

Seven separate facilities - four in Syria and three in Iraq - were struck by the B1 bombers, which flew directly from the United States, refueling mid air.

Iraq was warned in advance, said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, but Iran - which supports and arms the militias - was not.
distinction without a difference.
Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the strikes were ordered because the weather was in their favor. The bombs can be dropped when there is cloud cover, but the U.S. waited until the skies were clear in 'an interest of ensuring that we're hitting all the right targets,' said Sims.

He said the U.S. was looking to avoid 'unnecessary casualties' - but they did expect militants in the seven facilities to have been killed.

Footage shared on social media showed a series of explosions in the city of Al-Qaim: the first explosions from the U.S. bombs, and then the secondary explosions from the munitions detonating. The mayor of Al-Qaim, Turki Al-Mahalawi, said the strikes hit three houses used as weapon warehouses by the PMU - al Hashed al Shabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). The PMU is backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and is believed by Washington to be responsible for many of the 165 attacks launched since October 7 on U.S. sites and personnel in the region.

Yahya Rasool, spokesperson of Iraq's Armed Forces, said the strikes were a 'violation of Iraqi sovereignty.'

Yes, that is the point.

'The city of Al-Qaim and the Iraqi border areas are being subjected to airstrikes by U.S. aircraft, at a time when Iraq is striving hard to ensure the stability of the region,' Rasool said, according to CNN.

Striving and failing. Hence the targets in your territory that were targetted.

Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official in the Trump administration, told The New York Times that the U.S. strikes appeared to be focused on Iranian supply lines, which pass through Iraq and Syria.

Mulroy said he believed it is unlikely many Iranian soldiers would have been killed because Iran had time to move its personnel out of harm's way - likely a deliberate move by the U.S. to avoid unnecessary escalation.

The New York Times reported that a site in the Iraqi city of Akashat was also hit, describing the target as a command headquarters of the PMU. The PMU is just part of a coalition of Iran-backed groups which call themselves the 'Axis of Resistance', and claim they are attacking U.S. targets in response to Washington's support for Israel's action in Gaza.

Joe Biden on Friday said that the airstrikes were just the beginning.

The operation was over in 30 minutes.

'Initial indications are we hit exactly what we meant to hit, with a number of secondary explosions associated with the ammunition and logistics locations,' Douglas Sims said.

'We know that there are militants that use these locations.

'We made these strikes tonight with an idea that there would likely be casualties associated with people inside those facilities.'

Senator Jack Reed, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he endorsed the strikes.

'This was a strong, proportional response,' said Reed, a Democrat representing Rhode Island.

'In fact, the 85 targets struck tonight mark a greater number than the prior administration. Iran's proxy forces in Syria and Iraq have been dealt a significant blow, and Iranian-linked militias around the Middle East should understand that they, too, will be held accountable.'

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US Air Force launches strikes on Syria

2024-02-03

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The United States has launched a military operation against Syria in response to a drone attack on a US base in northeast Jordan, ABC reported on February 2, citing unnamed officials.

Journalists did not disclose information about which specific areas of Syria were hit.

According to Al Hadath TV channel, US Air Force planes attacked the province of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. The attack killed at least six people.

As Regnum reported, on February 1, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed that the United States will not tolerate attacks on its military personnel and will take all necessary measures to protect them, as well as to protect its interests in the Middle East. The Pentagon chief made this statement after the attack on an American military base in Jordan.

US authorities have approved a plan to strike Iranian military targets in Iraq and Syria in response to an attack on an American base in the Middle East, CBS reported on February 1. Sources say weather will be a determining factor in the attacks, as the military allegedly wants to avoid civilian casualties in low visibility conditions.

At the end of January, a drone attacked a US military base in northeastern Jordan. The US Department of Defense confirmed the death of three American servicemen, and dozens of people were injured. According to a CNN source, the drone was launched by Iranian-backed militants, and the attack was likely carried out from Syria.

More from RIA Novosti
Several people were killed in Syria as a result of US strikes

As a result of US strikes on the Syrian-Iraq border, several people were killed, reports the local Telegram channel Al Akhbar."

“Several people were killed and some were wounded during American aggression against a number of positions in the (Syrian – editor’s note) desert and on the Syrian-Iraqi border,” the message says.

Earlier, a source told RIA Novosti that drones struck positions of forces allied to the Syrian army in the province of Deir ez-Zor. The drones were likely launched from a US base at the Omar oil field in Deir ez-Zor. In addition, the agency's interlocutor added, warplanes attacked Damascus' allies near Ain Ali in the same province.

In addition, according to a RIA Novosti source, as a result of US shelling in the Al-Qaim region in western Iraq, a civilian was killed and another was injured. He added that the US target could be the headquarters of the operational command of the Shiite militia forces in Anbar province.

At the same time, as another interlocutor of the agency pointed out, a fire started at the American base at the Koniko gas field in eastern Syria after a rocket attack.

According to the US Central Command, US troops hit more than 85 targets, including the IRGC and associated groups. President Joe Biden has vowed to continue shelling in response to attacks on his forces in the region. In turn, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin threatened that “this is just the beginning.”

The White House added that the US army used 125 precision-guided projectiles in 30 minutes for the attack. However, they did not specify the number of dead and wounded as a result of the shelling, but called it “successful.”

In addition, the American administration assured that they warned Iraq in advance about the strikes. In a statement received by RIA Novosti, the representative of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Yahya Abdullah, said that the shelling constitutes a violation of the country's sovereignty and undermines Baghdad's efforts to stabilize the situation, and also threatens Iraq and the entire region with unforeseen consequences.

Over the weekend, American troops at a base in Jordan were attacked by a drone. According to the Pentagon, three servicemen were killed and over 40 were injured. Washington blamed Iran, among others, for what happened.

The day before, CBS TV channel, citing government sources, reported that US authorities had approved a plan to strike Iranian military targets in Iraq and Syria. According to Politico, the Pentagon was considering several options: attacks on the Iranian Navy in the Persian Gulf, or on the Iranian military in Iraq or Syria.

Link

Iraq

US launches retaliatory airstrikes on Iraqi territory

2024-02-03

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] US forces have begun carrying out airstrikes on Iraqi territory, Saudi Arabian TV channel Al Hadath reported.

According to journalists, the targets of the attack were the headquarters of Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups in the Al-Sikaq area near the village of Al-Qaim near the Syrian border.

Earlier, the channel announced massive bombings in eastern Syria in response to the recent drone attack on an American base in Jordan.

The Pentagon said media reports of strikes in the Middle East were premature. Only now has a retaliatory attack begun after an attack on American troops in northeast Jordan, RIA Novosti reports.

In turn, the ABC television channel, which informed on the evening of February 2 about US strikes in Syria, denied the reports. The initial series of strikes in Syria were not carried out from the United States, journalists clarified, citing sources. A few minutes later, a report citing American officials reported that “retaliatory US airstrikes have begun in Syria and Iraq.”

As Regnum reported, on January 28, a drone attacked an American military base in the northeastern part of Jordan. The Pentagon reported three dead US military personnel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on February 1 that the United States will not tolerate attacks on its military personnel and will take all necessary measures to protect them and protect its interests in the Middle East.

Washington is not considering the possibility of withdrawing American forces from Syria due to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and attacks on its bases in the region, Austin emphasized.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US military base in Syria attacked by drones

2024-01-09

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Drones attacked a US military base in northeastern Syria, Al Mayadeen TV channel reported on January 8.

Earlier on January 8, in eastern Syria, a US military base in the Al-Omar oil field east of Deir ez-Zor was attacked with rockets. According to the channel's sources, 30 missiles were used against the American military.

This happened after the US military attacked a truck at the Al-Qaim-Al-Bukamal checkpoint on the border with Iraq. The TV channel noted that the Islamic resistance continues to attack American bases in Iraq and Syria.

As Regnum reported, according to the Shafaq News portal, on January 5 in Iraq, in the vicinity of the city of Erbil, a drone attacked the American military base of Harir.

The day before, in Baghdad, field commander Mushtaq Javad Qasima al-Jawari (Abu Taqwa ), the commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah al-Nujabaa movement, was killed in a strike in Baghdad.

After this, the head of the Iraqi government, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, announced the beginning of the withdrawal of the remaining foreign troops from Iraq.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Israeli warplanes hit a convoy near the Iraqi-Syrian borders

2023-01-30

[SHAFAQ] A convoy numbering some 25 trucks was struck by Israeli warplanes on the Syrian side of the border with Iraq on Sunday.

According to al-Arabiya TV, the convoy loaded with munitions was hit after it passed through the Bu Kamal border crossing, a zone controlled by the Lebanese

Hezbollah.

This comes hours after a report in the Wall Street Journal cited an unnamed U.S. official as saying that Israel appeared to have been behind an overnight drone attack.

The Times of Israel adds:

Unidentified aircraft struck a convoy of Iranian trucks at the al-Qaim crossing on the Syria-Iraq border, where frequent Iranian military activity has been reported, Syrian and other Arab media said Sunday night.

The Saudi-funded al-Arabiya network, citing unidentified sources, said 25 trucks had crossed the border from Iraq to Syria before the strike. According to Syria’s Sham FM radio station and other local media reports, six refrigerator trucks were hit.

Al-Arabiya said the unidentified aircraft first fired a warning shot to allow the truck drivers to leave before bombing them. The network said the al-Qaim crossing is controlled, practically speaking, by Iranian militias.

Europe-based Syrian expert Omar Abu Layla, whose news organization DeirEzzor24 maintains researchers on the ground in Syria, reported that the trucks belonged to Iranian militias, and that the strikes also targeted a meeting of Iranian commanders in the Abu Kamal area.

Unverified footage circulating online purported to show a large fire burning in the area.

Iran
Iran

...The nation is noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence...
is believed to frequently truck weapons to ~~Lebanon~~ Hezbollahstan
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers, a practice dating back to the heady days of human sacrifice to Baal Moloch...
’s Hezbollah terror group from Iraq and via Syria.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the strike Sunday.

There are also claims that an Iranian truck convoy on the way to Damascus has been hit in Al-Bukamal, at the Syrian-Iraqi border. The city is under control by Iranian forces (Hezbollah Kataib). #Syria #Iran pic.twitter.com/SUNoSgsDzF
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) January 29, 2023

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Unidentified aircraft target Iran militias in eastern Syria - report

2022-11-09

[JPost] Arabic-language media reported that 25 Iran-backed militants were killed and 10 others were wounded.

Unidentified aircraft targeted sites belonging to Iranian militias along the border between Iraq and Syria on Tuesday night, according to Arabic-language media.

The strikes were first reported by the Iraqi Sabareen news channel which is affiliated with militias backed by Iran. The channel blamed the US for carrying out the strikes near the Al-Qaim border crossing and claimed that 25 people were killed.

Sabareen and additional news sites reported that fuel tankers carrying Iranian gasoline for Lebanon were hit.

The Sada AlSharqieh news site also reported that 25 Iran-backed militants were killed and 10 others were wounded.

The local Deir Ezzor 24 news site reported that unidentified aircraft targeted a site belonging to Iranian militias near Al-Bukamal in the Deir Ezzor region of eastern Syria.

US RESPONSE TO THE ALLEGATIONS
BBC reporter Nafiseh Kohnavard reported that a senior US official had confirmed that airstrikes were conducted by an unidentified party in the area and not by the US.

Link

Iraq

Iraqi forces seized explosive devices and destroyed dens

2022-04-01

"Strong Will" Operation: Iraqi forces seized explosive devices and destroyed denshttps://t.co/ULjC6hbncx
— SHAFAQ News (@Shafaqnews) March 31, 2022

The Iraqi Security Media Cell revealed the "Strong Will" operation's final results against ISIS in the governorates of Nineveh, Saladin, and Al-Anbar.

In a statement, the Cell said that the security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces destroyed 19 dens and six tunnels and seized six booby-trapped houses, 25 explosive devices, 250 detonators, four Katyusha rockets, and two RBG7, 12 kg of C4, various medical supplies and other materials.

"The security forces would launch other operations to pursue the terrorists," the statement added.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carried out large-scale operations in three governorates against ISIS members this morning.

In a statement, the PMF media said that the Nineveh-Saladin- Al-Anbar Operations Commands, affiliated with the Joint Operations Command of the Ministries of Defense and Interior and the Air Force Command and Army Aviation, launched security operations to "eliminate terrorist groups and destroy their hideouts in Al-Jazeera and the areas among the governorates of Nineveh, Saladin, and Al-Anbar."

For its part, the Joint Operations Command, the highest authority in the Iraqi army, said that the commanders of the operations of Al-Jazeera, Saladin, and West Nineveh, in collaboration with the Popular Mobilization Units, the Nineveh, Saladin, and West Anbar axes, and the Air Forces, carried out an overall security operation (Strong Will) in the southern Al-Hader and Al-Jazeera regions in the north of the Euphrates and the areas west of Wadi Tharthar.

The Al-Anbar Operations Command said it had launched the "Lions of the Desert" Operation, which targets areas north of the Al-Qaim district towards the Al-Jazeera desert in Mosul.

"Our forces carried out this morning a security operation from three main axes, in partnership with the Iraqi army and the army's aviation," Qassem Musleh, the PMF commander of Al-Anbar Operations, said in a statement.

The Commander added, "the operation is one of the PMF's major security operations since the victory over ISIS."

An explosive device blew up during the operation, targeting a vehicle belonging to the 16th Division of the Nineveh Operations Command of the Iraqi army, wounding two soldiers.

Link

Iraq

Iraqi security forces raid three ISIS hideouts in Nineveh, 2 soldiers kaboomed

2022-03-30

Iraqi security forces raid three ISIS hideouts in Ninevehhttps://t.co/yIpcb24Ipj
— SHAFAQ News (@Shafaqnews) March 29, 2022

Iraqi security forces reportedly raided three ISIS hideouts in Nineveh, earlier today, Tuesday.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that the force on duty found and seized "fresh vegetables" and logistic supplies inside those hideouts.

"The operation is still underway," the source said.

In al-Hadar desert, southeast of Mosul, a force from the Iraqi army detonated a pickup that belonged to the terrorist organization of ISIS.

The detonation carried out under controlled conditions went smoothly without any complications.

Earlier today, the spokesperson to the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major-General Yehya Rasool, said that the Iraqi airforce warplanes executed four airstrikes in Wadi Chay in Kirkuk.

Two Iraqi soldiers were wounded in an explosion in Ninevehhttps://t.co/7dA8Y0GtqH
— SHAFAQ News (@Shafaqnews) March 29, 2022

On Tuesday, an official security source said that an explosive device blew up targeting a vehicle belonging to the 16th Division of the Nineveh Operations Command of the Iraqi army.

The explosion wounded two Iraqi soldiers. The source reported.

The two soldiers were on a mission as part of the operations launched on Tuesday in three governorates.

The Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carried out large-scale operations in three governorates against ISIS members this morning.

In a statement, the PMF media said that the Nineveh-Saladin- Al-Anbar Operations Commands, affiliated with the Joint Operations Command of the Ministries of Defense and Interior and the Air Force Command and Army Aviation, launched security operations to "eliminate terrorist groups and destroy their hideouts in Al-Jazeera and the areas among the governorates of Nineveh, Saladin, and Al-Anbar."

For its part, the Joint Operations Command, the highest authority in the Iraqi army, said that the commanders of the operations of Al-Jazeera, Saladin, and West Nineveh, in collaboration with the Popular Mobilization Units, the Nineveh, Saladin, and West Anbar axes, and the Air Forces, carried out an overall security operation (Strong Will) in the southern Al-Hader and Al-Jazeera regions in the north of the Euphrates and the areas west of Wadi Tharthar.

The Al-Anbar Operations Command said it had launched the "Lions of the Desert" Operation, which targets areas north of the Al-Qaim district towards the Al-Jazeera desert in Mosul.

"Our forces carried out this morning a security operation from three main axes, in partnership with the Iraqi army and the army's aviation," Qassem Musleh, the PMF commander of Al-Anbar Operations, said in a statement.

The Commander added, "the operation is one of the PMF's major security operations since the victory over ISIS."

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Explosions near Al Bukamal on Syria-Iraq border area

2021-09-15

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

#BREAKING: Explosions near Al Bukamal on Syria-Iraq border area
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) September 14, 2021

Hearing they’re US airstrikes and a convoy is on fire https://t.co/4l3hSNmVZ0
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) September 14, 2021

Two vehicles belonging to the 46th Brigade of the PMU which are brigades dominated by Kataib Hezbollah, have been targets https://t.co/DEPWvOgIzD
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) September 14, 2021

Photo circulating social media reportedly of the two vehicles struck in the airstrike in the vicinity of Al-Qaim. pic.twitter.com/fY0yTnuQQU
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) September 14, 2021

#UPDATE: Probable Israeli airstrike, 2-3 trucks possibly carrying PGM/missile-related equipment from Iran likely struck. Vehicle are burning now, possibly a drone strike (if so likely Heron TP ‘Eitan’) https://t.co/DEPWvOgIzD
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) September 14, 2021

NEW: #US CENTCOM official says "these are NOT our airstrikes."
— Joseph Haboush (@jhaboush) September 14, 2021

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Pentagon releases video of fighter jets dropping 2,000lb missiles on pro-Iran militia sites on the Syria border: Iraq calls for revenge and Tehran tells Biden he's taking the 'wrong path' after US airstrikes killed seven fighters

2021-06-29

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Details, photos, and videos of the attacks reported yesterday.

Strikes on two facilities in Syria in Albu Kamal in the Deir ez-Zor governorate and one in Iraq in the Al Qaim region in Anbar province were ordered by Biden Sunday
...both of which are frequent bombing targets for exactly this reason...
The operation by F-15 and F-16 jets on the border killed seven militia fighters

Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi said strikes 'violated sovereignty'

'Iraq reiterates its refusal to be an arena for settling scores,' Kadhemi added

Iran warned the Biden administration was 'taking the wrong path' in the region

Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Biden was 'continuing the failed legacy' of the Trump administration

Biden-ordered airstrike risks flaring tensions between Tehran and Washington

They were ordered as talks over reviving the nuclear deal falter

The missions were ordered in response to drone strikes on US personnel

Link

Iraq

Iraqi Army to launch operations on the borders with Syria

2021-04-22

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Iraqi Army to launch operations on the borders with Syria, Source sayshttps://t.co/T45Y7qyjO8
— SHAFAQ News (@Shafaqnews) April 21, 2021

A military source in the Al-Jazeera and Badia Operations Command in Al-Anbar Governorate revealed, on Wednesday, that the Iraqi army forces, directed by the Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, will soon embark on a massive campaign to close the illegal passages on the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The source, who is a colonel in the Army, told Shafaq News Agency that the campaign will be launched within the Al-Tanaf-Albu Kamal axis of Syria and the Iraqi Al-Qaim district," due to the increase of illegal activities, including smuggling of prohibited substances between the two countries.

He added, "The forces will conduct massive operations along the borders to track the illegal armed groups who transfer drugs, car parts, electricity, fuel and medicine from Iraq to Syria.”

He pointed out that the Iraqi forces had received surveillance towers and night thermal cameras to use them on the borders.

“Smuggling from Syria becomes a security and economic threat to Iraq,” He concluded.

Link

Iraq

IS Kills 3 Iraqi Policemen near Syrian Border

2020-08-27

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

IS Kills 3 #Iraqi Policemen near #Syrian Border#BaghdadPost
https://t.co/WsrDpkBzW7
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) August 26, 2020

The attack, which was carried out at around 2:00 am local time (2300 GMT Tuesday), targeted an outpost in al-Obeidi area near the town of al-Qaim, some 450 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a local official said.

The jihadists also wounded two other policemen during the fire exchange, Xinhua cited the mayor of al-Qaim Ahmed al-Dulaimi.

Link

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