ISRAEL/GAZA/HOTHIS/HIZBOLLAH RED SEA REPORT PLUS MORE……
Many thanks again to Mike Claydon for his up to date reporting on developments in the Middle East. My readers are most fortunate to have such up to date news with which to follow Bible prophecy as it unfolds at warp speed. The STOP PRESS news is published at the end of the main article, this is the situation as we go to press for Monday February 5th 2024 AD.
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
Israel Report – Saturday 03 February 2024
America Responds…..
America has commenced it’s military attacks against Iran to take revenge for the deaths and serious injuries to their troops.
The strikes are expected to last several days,
The United States struck over 85 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force and Iranian-backed militia targets in Iraq and Syria on February 2.
The strike involved “numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from [the] United States” using “more than 125 precision munitions.”
The strikes targeted operations and intelligence centres, rockets, missiles, drone storage facilities, and “logistics and munition supply chain facilities” of the IRGC and Iranian-backed militia groups.
President Joe Biden called these strikes the beginning of the US response to the January 28 Iranian-backed attack in Jordan that killed three US service members but vowed that the response will “continue at times and places of our choosing.”
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin [pictured below] stated that the strikes are the “start of the response” and that Biden has already “directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on US and Coalition forces”.
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias said that they will continue attacks targeting US forces until US forces are expelled from Iraq
What will Iran do to respond against the “Great Satan” ? We are all very soon going to find out !
The US military launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias, in the opening salvo.
Biden and other top US leaders have been warning for days that the US would strike back at the militias, and they made it clear that it wouldn’t be just one hit, but would be a “tiered response” over time.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations not yet made public.
Approval was given Thursday, February 1st, for plans to carry out a series of strikes over several days against Iranian targets, including personnel and facilities, inside Syria and Iraq, in response to drone attacks targeting US forces near the Syrian-Jordanian border.
The initial strikes by manned and unmanned aircraft were hitting command and control headquarters, ammunition storage and other facilities.
And they came just hours after Biden and top defence leaders joined grieving families to watch as the remains of the three Army Reserve soldiers were returned to the US during a sombre ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
CENTCOM said the strikes hit more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria.
“The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centres, intelligence centres, 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,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
U.S. Central Command said the assault involved more than 125 precision munitions, and they were delivered by numerous aircraft, including long-range B-1 bombers flown from the United States
It was unclear what the next steps will be, or whether the days of US warnings have sent militia members scattering into hiding, making it more difficult for the US to detect and strike them.
But it was evident that the recent statement released by Kataeb Hezbollah, one of the main Iran-backed militias, saying it was suspending attacks on American troops had no impact on the administration’s plans to strike back.
The US strikes also appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran or its Revolutionary Guard Quds force. Iran has denied it was behind the Jordan strike.
Syrian state media said that an “American aggression” on sites in Syria’s desert areas and the Syrian and Iraqi border resulted in a number of casualties and injuries.
Statement from President Joe Biden on U.S. Military Operation.….
“This past Sunday, three American soldiers were killed in Jordan by a drone launched by militant groups backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Earlier today, I attended the dignified return of these brave Americans at Dover Airforce Base, and I spoke with each of their families.
This afternoon, at my direction, U.S. military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces.
Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.
The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond”.
By using all these proxies to attack, Iran is gaining all the benefits of harassing the United States and Israel, but they are not having to pay a direct cost. The US must make Iran pay a direct cost.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken will make his fifth trip to the region next week, with stops in Israel, Judea and Samaria, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Friday.
Iran’s envoy to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani [pictured above] warned that Tehran would swiftly respond to any attack on its territory, its interests or nationals outside its borders.
Developing hourly…..
Iranian Proxies Scatter Ahead of U.S. Retaliation Strikes…
Plans are already leaking about the extent of the attacks now begun in response to the deadly drone strike on U.S. soldiers in Jordan.
Four days after a deadly drone attack on U.S. troops in Jordan, plans are leaking out about the American response, sending many of the intended targets scrambling for cover.
“U.S. officials have confirmed to CBS News that plans have been approved for a series of strikes over a number of days against targets commencing yesterday— including Iranian personnel and facilities — inside Iraq and Syria“, the news outlet reported on Thursday.
A “state of maximum alert has continued since the day before yesterday in all Iranian militias positions in the Syrian desert and Deir Ezzor, specifically in positions in Al-Bokamal, Al-Mazarea area in Al-Mayadeen and Palmyra countryside area, which includes forces from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday.
The leaders of the pro-Iranian groups “took measures to reduce human losses in the event of the expected American targeting of their positions in Syria, as they sent their leaders to the governorates of Damascus and Homs,” SOHR reported.
They “also informed the leadership of the Iranian militias in Syria… to stay at home and maintain contact with the leaders of the groups, while It was content with guarding the sites, in anticipation of expected American strikes in the coming hours, amid great confusion in its ranks.”
Following statements from the Iraq-based, Iranian-backed Khataib Hezbollah militant group about a pause in attacks on U.S. forces, the leadership of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) “instructed its fighting groups in Syria, specifically in Deir Ezzor to stop their military activities against American bases in Syria.”
Against this backdrop, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked Thursday whether the U.S. is “telegraphing” how it will hit back.
“In terms of telegraphing about strikes and whether or not people leave or would have left, you know, I won’t speculate on any of that,” Austin told reporters.
“I will just tell you that we will have a multi-tiered response, and we have the ability to respond a number of times, depending on what the situation is.”
Tehran believes, probably erroneously, that there is no chance the United States will go to war with Iran, not least because the United States keeps saying so.
As long as that belief is held, Tehran will continue to cultivate proxies to test the edge of US resolve.
Iran Evacuates IRGC Officers From Syria……….
Iran is pulling senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers out of Syria after facing a series of targeted airstrikes against its personnel,
An Iranian source also said that the evacuations will “help Tehran to avoid being pulled into the Israel-Gaza war.”
Moving forward, Iran will reportedly rely more on its local proxies to manage operations in Syria.
“The Iranians won’t abandon Syria,” another source close to Tehran said.
Amid flights by drones | Explosions rock the US largest base in Syria…
Loud explosions were heard yesterday in the US base in Al-Omar oil field in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, the US largest base in Syria.
However, it is not known if the explosions were caused by an attack on the base.
The explosions coincided with flights by drones over the region.
Three terrorists affiliated with the Iranian regime were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike near Damascus, it was reported on Friday morning.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, seen as close to the regime, confirmed that an Iranian advisor named Said Alidadi was among the victims.
The other two killed were also identified as militants, with one being Iraqi and one of unknown identity.
ISRAEL – GAZA WAR UPDATE….
Over the last 24 hours, IDF ground troops, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) have continued to fight against Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
In the Hamas stronghold of western Khan Younis, the terrorist organization has embedded military compounds – including sniper positions and observation posts – amid dense, urban (civilian) areas.
During operations in Khan Younis in the past day, over 20 terrorists were killed, primarily during close-quarters combat, according to the IDF spokesman.
Arab Palestinian militias, including Hamas, attempted to disrupt Israeli operations in the “Passport area,” northwest of the Gaza Interior Ministry in Tel al Hawa neighbourhood, Gaza City on February 2
During those activities, IDF soldiers conducted targeted raids on several terror targets and military compounds in Khan Younis, finding weapons caches containing AK-47 rifles, grenades, explosive devices, military equipment and ammunition.
In a separate activity in western Khan Younis, soldiers directed an aircraft to strike several Hamas military compounds in which terrorists were seen operating.
Later, an armed terrorist cell launched several anti-tank missiles at the troops. Shortly after that, the cell was eliminated in coordination with the IAF.
In another maneuver, several armed terrorists, operating near IDF soldiers were eliminated. The soldiers confiscated several RPG launchers, as well as other weapons from the Hamas terrorists who were killed.
The Commando Brigade encountered and eliminated several terror cells in close-quarter battles, as IDF forces worked to strengthen their operational control over western Khan Younis.
In recent days, the Maglan Unit raided a Hamas military compound embedded inside a mosque and found a tunnel shaft inside.
Near the mosque, stockpiles of weapons and tactical radios were found. The soldiers also conducted a targeted raid on an explosives laboratory in the vicinity of the mosque.
Meanwhile, the 99th Division has been working to prevent weapons transfers from the southern Gaza Strip to Hamas elements in northern Gaza.
IDF efforts to thwart armed terrorist cells and conduct targeted raids on terror infrastructure in central and northern Gaza have continued, with forces in the area of Shati reportedly eliminating 10 terrorists over the past 24 hours.
During the operations of the 646th Brigade combat team in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers located a compound for manufacturing rocket shells. A mix of civilian and multi-purpose machinery had allegedly been converted by Hamas for terror activity.
The ‘Yiftah’ Brigade combat team [signia above] conducted raids on safes used by Hamas for funds designated for terror activity. Soldiers found documents recording Hamas’ method of transferring funds, which were handed over to Military Intelligence.
The 179th Brigade combat team, also operating in the central Gaza Strip, continues to locate and destroy terror tunnels, destroy Hamas structures and eliminate Hamas terrorists in armed conflict.
On Friday morning, the IDF announced that a suspicious aerial target that had crossed from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel overnight was successfully intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defence Array.
According to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) figures, 9,000 terrorists have been killed since the October 7 massacre with thousands more injured. Among the dead were two Hamas brigade commanders, 19 battalion commanders, and 50 company commanders.
On the Israeli side, 560 IDF soldiers have lost their lives and another 2,536 have been wounded.
This goes to show the incredible difficulty and danger of this new form of warfare that demands simultaneous action on the streets above the ground and in the labyrinth of tunnels below.
Since this war began, 14,000 rockets have been fired at civilian locations in Israel from Gaza, 2,000 from Lebanon, and 30 from Syria.
It is not just Gazans who have been forced to flee their homes due to war. There are 200,000 Israelis who have been evacuated to safety from both the southern and northern borders of the country.
ISRAEL – HIZBOLLAH WAR UPDATE….
Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah, conducted five attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel on February 2.
Over 400 houses were damaged by Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel as daily fire continues
Hezbollah vows to continue its attacks until the Gaza War ends
The Israeli Defence Ministry on Thursday published statistics showing, for the first time, the scale of destruction the daily border skirmishes with the Hezbollah terror organization have wrought on northern Israeli communities.
Since Hezbollah began its daily attacks on Israel in October, 427 houses have suffered structural damage, with 80 of them being seriously damaged as a result of direct hits.
According to similar statistics by the Israeli Tax Authority, Ynet News reported that over 500 houses were damaged by Hezbollah fire from Lebanon.
The report added that the three hardest hit communities are the towns of Metula, with 131 damaged homes, Shlomi with 130, and Kibbutz Manara with 121 damaged houses.
All three communities lie within 5 km of the border and, therefore, evacuated their citizens. Some 80,000 people remain internal refugees within the State of Israel.
Hezbollah has shown no sign of slowing down its daily attacks. On Thursday alone, the group launched 15 rockets and 5 anti-tank guided missiles at Israeli targets, according to the group Lobby 1701, which represents the evacuated Israeli residents.
On Friday morning, Hezbollah rocket launches activated alarms in the Israeli towns of Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Kfar Yuval and Ma’ayan Baruch, without causing damage or injuries.
The group reiterated its aggressive rhetoric toward Israel in several forums this week. Its deputy leader, Naim Kassem, said Hezbollah was not interested in discussing Israeli demands for a withdrawal of its forces from the border.
“With the end of the fighting in Gaza, the fighting will also stop in southern Lebanon,” Kassem said.
Because of the strength and training of Hezbollah, the IDF will not be able to just plough through like they did in Gaza.
This is where the real war will take place, and it will bring hardship to both Israeli and Lebanese civilians.
As the region braces for the consequences of major US airstrikes on ‘Iranian proxies’ in Iraq and Syria, Israel’s defence minister has issued an alert saying Israeli troops will “very soon go into action” near the country’s northern border with Lebanon.
ISRAEL – YEMEN WAR UPDATE…..
The Houthis launched one surface-to-surface missile targeting Eilat, Israel on February 2.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed that the attack was part of the Houthi movement’s “moral and humanitarian duties” to support Arab Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s Arrow air defence system intercepted the surface-to-surface missile over the Red Sea.
The Pentagon says there have been more than 160 attacks by Iranian-linked militia groups targeting U.S. bases and forces in the Middle East since October 7.
Yemen-based Houthi rebels (officially known as Ansarallah), Yahya Sare’e, announced the launching of a missile attack against the US naval warship USS Lewis B Puller this past week.
Sare’e reiterated the Houthis’ commitment to target commercial shipping in support of the Arab Palestinian cause not just in the contested Red Sea, but the wider Arabian Sea as well.
The attack on the USS Lewis B Puller was not random as it comes at a moment when militias in the region, many of whom are emboldened by Iran as part of its wider “Axis of Resistance” design in support of the Palestinians as Israel continues its military operations in Gaza.
The Puller was also previously engaged in special operations by US Navy Seals to intercept shipments of components of Iranian-made ballistic missiles.
The attacks have increasingly drawn the U.S. more directly involved in the Middle East crisis, with the U.S. previously striking targets in Syria and Iran and a U.S.-led coalition striking Houthi targets in Yemen.
GOG–MAGOG WAR UPDATE…..
The Israel-Hamas war that started on October 7 of last year is boosting the ties between Russia, Turkey, and Iran—which are the three key nations mentioned in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39.
They are mentioned under their ancient names and places. Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Gomer, and Persia—these are the locations today of Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
These key nations are developing much closer ties as a result of the Hamas invasion against Israel.
Just this week, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met in Ankara, Turkey.
In a great irony, you have the number one sponsor of terror in the Middle East, Iran, meeting with Turkey to discuss how they can “fight against terrorism” in the Middle East.
The Jerusalem Post published an opinion piece on Tuesday titled: “Putin’s Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran—The Geopolitical Tapestry Of Misinformation And Imperial Ambitions.”
“It is imperative to recognize the dynamics of regional alliances, especially the relationship between Iran and Russia,” the writers noted.
“Increasingly, Tehran [the capital of Iran] seems to be acting not just as an ally but as a proxy for Putin’s ambitions in the Middle East, similar to how groups like Hamas and Hezbollah serve as proxies for Iran.”
This is most intriguing. Whilst Tehran has its own proxies, Iran is really acting as a proxy for Russia to push its agenda in the Middle East.
This is the Gog coalition that is predicted in Scripture, and these developments really brings it into clear focus for us in these momentous days..
Ezekiel 38:4 describes how God is going to put “hooks” in the “jaws” of Russia to draw it into this conflict in the land of Israel.
It appears that Iran could easily be those hooks in the jaws, as Russia is deepening its ties with the country.
Iran being now a proxy of Russia; therefore, when Iran wants to strike Israel at some point in the future, that’s going to draw Russia inexorably into this coalition to be part of the invasion of Israel in the end times in which we now live.
UKRAINE WAR UPDATE…..
Ukraine; Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb’s delivery finally Imminent…..
The long-delayed weapon, which can reach targets over 90 miles away, could arrive on the battlefield for Ukraine as early as this week.
The Ground Based Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), [pictured above] promised to Ukraine last February, could arrive on the battlefield as soon as Wednesday, Politico reported on Tuesday.
The U.S. Army oversaw the testing of the new precision-guided weapon before providing its stamp of approval to send it to Ukraine, an industry source told the publication.
The GLSDB has a range of around 94 miles. That’s nearly twice the 50-mile range of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) munitions fired by the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS and the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) provided to Ukraine.
The GLSDB was developed by Boeing in partnership with Saab of Sweden.
Each bomb is a combination of two existing systems, the air-launched 250-pound GBU-39/B SDB with its pop-out wing set and the rocket booster motor from the 227mm-caliber M26 artillery rocket.
That’s among the munitions that can be fired by HIMARS and its tracked stablemate, the M270.
Despite the fact that the U.S. has no new money to authorize weapons transfers from existing stocks, the U.S. signed a contract with Boeing last year to provide the weapon to Ukraine. The GLSDB does not currently exist in U.S. stocks.
The delivery of GLSDBs to Ukraine was initially slated for the fall of 2023 but was delayed. In November, people familiar with timing said delivery to the U.S. by Boeing would take place in late December, according to Reuters.
After that, the Pentagon needed several months of testing before the weapons are sent to Ukraine.
At the time, a Pentagon spokesman told Reuters that “we anticipate providing this key capability in the early 2024 time-frame after successful verification,” another term for testing.
Given that this is a new system, having it used by Ukraine is a win for Boeing and Saab as well if it shows success on the battlefield.
It is unknown how many GLSDB systems will be provided to Ukraine, but any amount of another long-range weapon will certainly prove beneficial.
French donated SCALP-EGs and U.K. provided Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles have been used to significant effect far behind the front lines, especially on targets in Crimea.
While the general belief is that this is a battle for democracy over totalitarianism nothing could be further from the truth – Ukraine is one of the most corrupt and tyrannical regimes in the world – and is now the proxy battlefield that will lead us into WWIII.
HUMANITY vs GLOBALISM WAR UPDATE…….
It is a strange sight to see Western nations send their parliamentary leaders, foreign ministers, military generals, and prominent business executives to Schwab’s [pictured above with his father] World Economic Forum conflabs, where they may organize how best to dominate and manipulate their respective national populations without even the pretense of a democratic mandate or constitutional legitimacy.
This time around, totalitarianism returns to the West not on the heels of invasion and annexation but rather with light bacchanal celebrations in the crisp air of the Swiss Alps.
It seems that the only thing aspiring Western tyrants learned from the twentieth century’s carnage is that would-be totalitarians should not waste resources fighting one another when their common enemy has always been the people.
During the age of monarchies and empires, the easiest way to conquer foreign lands was to purchase their nobles.
That is what the World Economic Forum and its cabal of globalist conquerors do today.
Perhaps the most pungent indicator that Western totalitarianism has returned with a vengeance is the World Economic Forum’s Orwellian insistence that its members are working to combat “threats to our democracy.”
Financial and political oligarchs pretending to protect the people’s will is indistinguishable from a fox entrusted to guard the hen-house: the vulnerable always end up dead.
There is nothing “democratic” about labeling dissent as “disinformation.” There is nothing “democratic” about conspiring with tech companies to censor public debate as “hate speech.”
There is nothing “democratic” about imposing top-down “climate change” regulations that do nothing other than strip private property rights and centralize economic control.
There is nothing “democratic” about mandating what farmers may grow, what meats may be eaten, what people may own, what words can be said, or what experimental “vaccines” are required for a person to work.
There is nothing “democratic” about using central banks’ manipulation of digital monies to control the public’s behaviour.
The World Economic Forum is a totalitarian machine that undermines the democratic will of all Western peoples and an existential threat to human rights.
As one astute commenter sardonically advised: “I say we nuke the WEF from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”
It is certainly true that neither global war nor the proliferation of Iron Curtain police states around the world sufficed to eradicate tyrannical fantasies in the minds of brutal men or bury the miseries of totalitarianism for good.
Fundamentally, the WEF’s totalitarians misunderstand history. They believe that easily manipulated people are governed by lies when, in fact, people are desperate for authentic truth.
WEF-ers such as Bill Gates, Al Gore, and John Kerry think so little of ordinary people that they terrorize them with scientifically fraudulent warnings of a looming “climate change” apocalypse built around the preposterous notion that poor and middle-class communities can be saved only if they hand over their private property, live in tiny cubicle apartments in fifteen-minute cities, abandon any fondness for personal freedom, and subsist on a diet of bugs.
The fear-inducing power of such malevolent lies does not tend to last. It is why Central and Eastern Europeans rebelled against Soviet communism and collapsed the Iron Curtain.
It is why the Chinese Communist Party is so desperate to legitimize its totalitarianism with the pretext that it divinely operates under a “Mandate of Heaven.”
It is why the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” confronted Justin Trudeau’s tyranny. It is why Dutch, Polish, German, Romanian, Irish, and French farmers are fighting back against insane “green” policies today.
Because Klaus Schwab’s evil club has effectively disenfranchised the people, there is now a growing popular revolt throughout the West that could easily combust into an anti-Establishment “Reign of Terror.”
The WEF desires the West’s suicide under the guise of happiness and freedom – you’ll own nothing, but be happy.
Yet the Biblical prophets describe a much different scenario for the latter days?
They speak of wars, rumours of wars, great devastation and the rise of a Uber-Fuhrer who will bring temporary peace to a war torn world, allow the Jews to rebuild their temple, and finally bring an apocalypse upon the human race such as has never been seen before.
We are living in the days, perhaps hours now, when the heavenly cry to commence the coming “Great Tribulation‘ will be heard – and nothing will ever be the same again.
Call upon the Lord whilst He may be found! Do not be found outside God’s coming kingdom when the curtain comes down on this age.
“But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever” … until the Ancient One — the Most High — came and judged in favour of his holy people. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom … Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27).
WORLD NEWS BRIEFING – with – with Greg Denham and Steve Wilburn – 02 February 2024
Israel Report
Editor; Mike Claydon
israelreport@mail.com
STOP PRESS LATEST NEWS
Results of its first wave of retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian forces and their proxies in Iraq and Syria……….
As the U.S. assesses the results of its first wave of retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian forces and their proxies in Iraq and Syria, Tehran-linked militias in the region have delivered mixed messages, vowing revenge but also saying they don’t want to escalate tensions.
The airstrikes, carried out in response to the deadly Jan. 28 drone attack on U.S. troops in Jordan, killed dozens of Iranian-backed militia fighters, as well as civilians, according to claims by Iraq, Syria, Iranian-backed militias and a monitoring group. The War Zone
We cannot independently verify those assertions and we’ve reached out to the U.S. military for an updated bomb damage and casualty assessment, which is still being conducted.
As that assessment continues, questions remain about the deterrent value in this first of what are said to be a series of U.S. strikes against groups it says have carried out more than 160 attacks on its forces in the region.
There have been new claims by militia groups of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria in the wake of the airstrikes by a mix of B-1B bombers flying from the U.S. and fighter aircraft based in the region. Meanwhile, the U.S and allies carried out a new series of airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Regional Reaction
The Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement confirms that the Islamic Resistance will respond to the American aggression in what it deems appropriate at the time and place it determines, the group threatened, according to the Hezbollah-aligned Al Mayadeen Telegram channel. Al-Nujaba is part of the umbrella group of militias known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and notably used language similar to statements made by U.S. President Joe Biden.
However, Hussein al-Mosawi, spokesperson for the group, told The Associated Press in Baghdad that “we do not wish to escalate or widen regional tensions.”
Translation; they are terrified/
Mosawi added that the targeted sites in Iraq were mainly “devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of the attack.”
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq – a group of largely Shia militias now part of the Iraqi security infrastructure but generally acting independently – “confirms that the American targeting is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, and declares its readiness to implement any order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” the PMF said, according to Al Mayadeen.
The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani decried the U.S. airstrikes.
“The American administration committed a new aggression against the sovereignty of Iraq, as the locations of our security forces, in the Akashat and Al-Qaim regions, as well as neighbouring civilian places, were bombed by several American aircraft,” Al Sudani’s office said on Twitter.
“This blatant aggression led to 16 martyrs, including civilians, in addition to 25 wounded. It also caused losses and damage to residential buildings and citizens’ property.”
Al Sudani’s office disputed comments made last night by White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby that Iraq was informed ahead of time by the U.S.
“The American side then deliberately deceived and falsified the facts, by announcing prior coordination to commit this aggression, which is a false claim aimed at misleading international public opinion and disavowing legal responsibility for this rejected crime in accordance with all international laws and laws.
“This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, and it also contradicts efforts to establish the required stability.”
The U.S. airstrikes, which dropped 125 munitions on 85 targets at seven locations in Iraq and Syria were also condemned by Iran, Syria and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana’ani lashed out at the U.S., cautioning that “Washington’s adventurism will further escalate tensions in the region,” according to the official FARS news agency.
Kana’ani said the U.S. airstrikes were “an adventurous act” and “another strategic mistake” which will have no result other than “the escalation of tension, instability and insecurity in the region”.
He added that “the aggression is a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries, international law and the United Nations Charter.”
In addition, Kana’ani blasted “the full support of the United States for four months of the Israeli relentless bombardment of Gaza and the regime’s attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as well as assault the against Yemen and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.”
Syrian officials said the airstrikes were “a blatant aerial aggression on a number of sites and towns in the eastern region of Syria, near Iraqi borders, leaving many civilian and military martyrs, inuring others and causing huge damage to private and public properties,” a military statement announced,” according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The statement added that the region targeted by the U.S. attacks in eastern Syria “is the same where the Syrian army fights remnants of the Daesh terrorist organization, and this affirms that the US is involved and allied with this origination.”
“The US aggression today has no justification, but it is an attempt to weaken the Syrian army’s capability to fight terrorism,” the statement added.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah “condemns the American aggression against Syria and Iraq, and points out that it reveals the United States’ lie in not expanding the conflict in the region,” according to Al Mayadeen.
Damage Report
During a Friday night media briefing, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims II, [pictured above] Director of Operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters that the airstrikes were meant to limit civilian casualties and damage the ability of the IRGC and Iranian-backed militias to continue carrying out attacks.
While the Pentagon has yet to release a bomb damage assessment, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said while 23 militia members were killed in and around Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, the ultimate damage to their operations was limited.
SOHR stated that 13 militia members were killed in American airstrikes on positions in Al-Mayadeen city while another 10 were killed in airstrikes on positions in Deir Ezzor countryside.
There is an ongoing “state of alert, redeployment and repositioning of Iranian militias and the evacuation of many positions, for fear of more strikes in the coming hours,” SOHR reported. “
The American strikes on Iranian militias in the areas of Deir Ezzor and its countryside caused confusion for those militias, but they do not end the Iranian presence in the region, as Iran has at least 20,000 Syrian and non-Syrian fighters spread over a geographic area extending from Al-Bokamal on the Syrian-Iraqi border, passing through Al-Mayadeen and Deir Ezzor, all the way to Jabal Al-Bushri, the depth of the Syrian desert and the T2 station.
SOHR added that there have been “intense flights by American drones over Al-Bokamal city in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, near the Syrian-Iraqi border, to monitor the developments and follow the movements in the region.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq say airstrikes killed 16 members of Khataib Hezbollah and injured 25 others.
Still, at least one major militia ammunition storage site was totally destroyed by the airstrikes, an assessment based on available satellite imagery.
Though the U.S. airstrikes were designed to stop further attacks, militias have claimed additional attacks on U.S. force in Iraq and Syria Saturday.
Fighting The Houthis
The Red Sea region, meanwhile, remains in turmoil.
“The militaries of the United States and United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand conducted an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes against 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea,” the Pentagon said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
Earlier, U.S. Navy warships and aircraft carried out a number of attacks on Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen as well as defended against aerial threats in the past 24 hours, according to U.S. Central Command. Those actions, and others taken by the command, were separate, preemptive strikes, a U.S. official said.
At about 7:20 p.m. local time, CENTCOM forces carried out a pre-emptive strike against six Houthi anti-ship cruse missiles preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea, CENTCOM said.
That followed several engagements against the Houthis on Feb. 2.
At about 10:30 a.m. local time, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Carney “engaged and shot down one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”
A dozen nations have issued a warning to the Houthis to stop attacking Red Sea shipping.
The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Carney shot down another Houthi drone over the Gulf of Aden Saturday. (USN) USN
Later that same day, at approximately 4:40 p.m. local time, CENTCOM forces “conducted strikes against four Houthi UAVs that were prepared to launch” presenting “an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region. U.S. forces subsequently struck and destroyed the UAVs in self-defence.”
Then, at 9:20 p.m. local time, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) and F/A-18s from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group “engaged and shot down seven UAVs over the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported.”
A U.S. fighter shot down a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile heading to the USS Laboon.
The Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyer USS Laboon shot down Houthi drones over the Red Sea Friday.
How long can the USA keep using multi-million-dollar missiles to down cheaply manufacctured drones?
Warfare has changed dramatically, and the Western nations are now fighting wars as if it were 1945….very expensive and dangerous. Using 50-year-old B1 bombers for instance – that seem to be having little real effect on a highly mobile enemy.
These naval vessels including massive aircraft carrier squadrons are extremely vulnerable and it could be only a matter of time now before they are attacked and perhaps sunk?
The military future is drone swarms, bots, AI, and all produced at a fraction of the cost of missiles,ships and aircraft – and far more accurate. Australia has 0 drones…warfare now is beginning look very much like that depicted in John’s Revelation?
What Now?
U.S. officials say Friday night’s attacks were just the first in a series. How many more targets will be hit, how much damage is caused and whether these operations will truly deter future deadly acts against U.S. personnel in the region are all unknowns at this point in time.
They are fighting a flexible enemy with enormous stores of inexpensive and effective weapons that cannot only track vessels, but evern individuals on the battlefield. The Drone technology is advancing at lightning speed and their capabilities are alarming.
If the West doesn’t soon begin to see this very soon, they may be found at a distinct disadvantage with an enemy who they have always seen as inferior – that is all changing by the hour?
=======================================================================================================
The wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. [Daniel 12;10]