War Iran-United States Military Crisis of 2020 - US Baghdad embassy under siege, rocket fire in US Baghdad green zone, Ukrainian Airlines flight 752 crash, and more!

January 10th:
Exclusive: Informants in Iraq, Syria helped U.S. kill Iran's Soleimani - sources (archive)(post)
Iraqi Shia cleric whose militia killed American troops says crisis is over following Iran strike and Trump speech (archive)(post)
Iraqi PM tells US to decide mechanism for troop withdrawal (archive)(post)
Mike Pence says Congress might 'compromise sources and methods' if fully briefed on the Soleimani strike (archive)(post)
Unidentified planes hit Iraqi militiamen in Syria, killing 8 (archive)(post)
Iraq: The Master Of Mayhem Meets A Missile (archive)(post)
Eliminating Qasem Soleimani was Donald Trump’s Middle East farewell letter (archive)(post)
Iran uses BULLDOZERS to clear debris from plane crash site while accusing US of ‘big lie’ that they shot it down (archive)(post)
Swiss Back Channel Helped Defuse U.S.-Iran Crisis (post)

January 11th:
UKRAINIAN AIRCRAFT WAS BROUGHT DOWN IN IRAN DUE TO 'HUMAN ERROR' (archive)(post)
Iran minister says 'human error' caused by 'US adventurism' led to deadly crash of Ukrainian jetliner (archive)(post)
Ukrainian aircraft was brought down in Iran due to 'human error' (archive)(post)
Trump, at Ohio rally, says Democrats would have leaked Soleimani attack plans (archive)(post)
The Atlantic's David Frum blames Trump for downing of plane in Iran, deaths of 176 (archive)(post)
Associated Press changes ‘shockingly bad’ headline about Soleimani, Ukrainian plane crash after backlash (archive)(post)
GOP Rep. Doug Collins apologizes for saying Democrats are 'in love with terrorists' (archive)(post)
Iran demands West 'show findings' as new video reveals aircraft was struck before fiery crash (archive)(post)
Warren town hall interrupted by angry protester accusing her of ‘siding with terrorists’ (archive)(post)
Trump administration announces new sanctions on Iran (archive)(post)
Prepare For the Worst From Iran Cyber Attacks, As DHS Issues Warning: Experts (archive)(post)
Trump tells Fox News' Laura Ingraham 'four embassies' were targeted in imminent threat from Iran (archive)(post)
Trump tweets support for Iranian protesters as they demand Khamenei quit (archive)(post)
Trump warns Iran against ‘another massacre’ as protests flare over downed jet (archive)(post)

January 12th:
Trump tweet in Farsi 'the most liked Persian tweet' in history of Twitter (archive)(post)
Iraq warned to keep US troops or risk financial blow-WSJ (archive)(post)
Iran arrests UK ambassador in what Britain calls ‘flagrant violation of international law’ (archive)(post)

January 13th:
Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions (archive)(post)

edit: This is a WIP. All links are posted in the order they appear in the thread, not in chronological order of their publication.


---Original OP before the merge---
Iraqi supporters of Iran-backed militia attack US Embassy
https://apnews.com/75228a8a607a44863b57021ac33264dc (http://archive.vn/ljm9Y)

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA12 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — Dozens of angry Iraqi Shiite militia supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday after smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area, prompting tear gas and sounds of gunfire.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three U.S. soldiers on the roof of the main building inside embassy. It was not clear what caused the fire at the reception area near the parking lot of the compound. A man on a loudspeaker urged the mob not to enter the compound, saying: “The message was delivered.”

The embassy attack followed deadly U.S. airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The U.S. military said it was in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that it had blamed on the militia.

Dozens of protesters marched inside the compound after smashing the gate used by cars to enter the embassy. The protesters, many in militia uniform, stopped in a corridor after about 5 meters (16 feet), and were only about 200 meters away from the main building. Half a dozen U.S. soldiers were seen on the roof of the main building, their guns were pointed at the protesters.

Smoke from the tear gas rose in the area, and at least three of the protesters appeared to have difficulties breathing. It wasn’t immediately known whether the embassy staff had remained inside the main building.

The protesters hanged a poster on the wall: “America is an aggressor.”

Shouting “Down, Down USA,” the crowd tried to push inside the embassy grounds, hurling water and stones over its walls. They raised yellow militia flags and taunted the embassy’s security staff who remained behind the glass windows in the gates’ reception area. They sprayed graffiti on the wall and windows in red in support of the Kataeb Hezbollah militia: “Closed in the name of the resistance.”

Hundreds of angry protesters, some in militia uniforms, set up tents outside the embassy. As tempers rose, the mob set fire to three trailers used by security guards along the embassy wall.

No one was immediately reported hurt in the rampage and security staff had withdrawn to inside the embassy earlier, soon after protesters gathered outside.

The U.S. attack — the largest targeting an Iraqi state-sanctioned militia in recent years — and the subsequent calls by the militia for retaliation, represent a new escalation in the proxy war between the U.S. and Iran playing out in the Middle East.

Tuesday’s attempted embassy storming took place after mourners and supporters held funerals for the militia fighters killed in a Baghdad neighborhood, after which they marched on to the heavily fortified Green Zone and kept walking till they reached the sprawling U.S. Embassy there.

AP journalists then saw the crowd as they tried to scale the walls of the embassy, in what appeared to be an attempt to storm it, shouting “Down, down USA!” and “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday’s strikes send the message that the U.S. will not tolerate actions by Iran that jeopardize American lives.

The Iranian-backed Iraqi militia had vowed Monday to retaliate for the U.S. military strikes. The attack and vows for revenge raised concerns of new attacks that could threaten American interests in the region.

The U.S. attack also outraged both the militias and the Iraqi government, which said it will reconsider its relationship with the U.S.-led coalition — the first time it has said it will do so since an agreement was struck to keep some U.S. troops in the country. It called the attack a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.

In a partly televised meeting Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi told Cabinet members that he had tried to stop the U.S. operation “but there was insistence” from American officials.

The U.S. military said “precision defensive strikes” were conducted against five sites of Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq and Syria. The group, which is a separate force from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, operates under the umbrella of the state-sanctioned militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces. Many of them are supported by Iran.

.

 

[AnitaSarsleezian]

Ted Cruz just not giving a fuck anymore...

 

[MrTickles]

If China is going green, and investing so much in renewables, why is their consumption of electricity still producing so much pollution?

They're still consuming 50% less electricity per capita as the US, despite having an urbanized population of 700 million. They're still building 200+ dams, despite already deriving 25% of power from hydro. 1 million electric vehicles are sold in china every year, that's 10-15x more than in the west depending on the year in question. They've planted 13 billion trees since 2010. That's half the amazon rain forest and 100x more than the west. Clearly China is doing more. but we digress. The rest of your points aren't worth my time.

As for the middle east and the topic at hand;

Elijah J. Magnier on Twitter

“#BreakingNews: Both largest Parliamentary coalitions in the Parliament Al-Fateh (Hadi al-Ameri) and Sairoun (Moqtada al-Sdar) agreed to vote for the withdrawal of all #US forces from #Iraq today. Almost there. It is most likely for the resolution to go through.”

twitter.com

i.e Iraq will soon be back at war with the US, get ready for more american troops to start occupying and in turn dying in their old dying ground.

 

[MrJokerRager]

Well Rose McGowan and Hollywood can eat their hearts out, here is a new King of Lunacy to replace them all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Soleimani death, Colin Kaepernick decries US 'terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people'

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick on Saturday accused the United States of targeting minorities "at home and abroad," just days after the administration ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

www.foxnews.com

http://archive.li/U1SMy

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick on Saturday accused the United States of targeting minorities "at home and abroad," just days after the administration ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

"There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism," he tweeted.

In a separate tweet, Kaepernick decried "American imperialism" and its "policing and plundering of the nonwhite world."

"America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad," he wrote. "America militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the nonwhite world."

It's unclear what specifically Kaepernick was referring to, but his comments came amid left-leaning criticism of President Trump's decision to kill Soleimani, who led the elite Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); the U.S. government has long considered him a terrorist.

Kaepernick's agent did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

The ex-NFL player previously faced a wave of backlash after he claimed to protest systemic racism by kneeling during the National Anthem. On Thanksgiving, Kaepernick attended an "Unthanksgiving event" where he accused the United States of stealing "over 1.5 billion acres of land from Indigenous people."

Kaepernick had already faced immense criticism for previous comments, apparently pressuring NFL teams to avoid recruiting him.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to quash any possibility of a Kaepernick comeback in December.

Speaking to reporters at the league’s winter meetings in Irving, Texas, Goodell addressed the scheduled Kaepernick workout for NFL teams in November -- an event that all but collapsed when Kaepernick decided at the last minute to relocate it away from the facility that he and league officials had initially agreed upon.

“This was about creating an opportunity. We created that opportunity. It was a unique opportunity, a credible opportunity,” Goodell said, according to Reuters, “and he chose not to take it. I understand that."

“We’ve moved on,” the commissioner added, suggesting that the league was finished considering Kaepernick for future workouts or team roster openings.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His twitter posts, he getting ratiod hard:

Colin Kaepernick on Twitter

“There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.”

twitter.com

http://archive.li/lo88f

Colin Kaepernick on Twitter

“America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad. America militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the non white world.”

twitter.com

http://archive.li/XQ8Kh

 

[ConfederateIrishman]

I know Iraq is basically a colony of the US, but I have a stupid question: If the Iraq government requests the US withdraw, what will the US do about it? Just ignore them? Send the military into their capital? Put pressure on them so they don't do that? Or something else?

 

[Synthetic Smug]

 

[registered 2 hide avatars]

Killing Iranians, even civilians... whatever, nobody lives forever, it's retaliation. But intentionally bombing sacred cultural sites... I have no words. I finally understand why people think this guy's a psychopath. You don't do that shit, you don't destroy thousands of years of history, doesn't matter what country it is. And to think the people who condemned ISIS for destroying ancient relics are now cheering for this.

 

[BONE_Buddy]

Donald J. Trump on Twitter

“The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way...and without hesitation!”

twitter.com

More fire and fury rhetoric from Trump

 

[MrJokerRager]

I know Iraq is basically a colony of the US, but I have a stupid question: If the Iraq government requests the US withdraw, what will the US do about it? Just ignore them? Send the military into their capital? Put pressure on them so they don't do that? Or something else?

Hmm, it gives Trump an out to leave the country by saying look, their ungrateful government wants us out. Will be interesting to see how CNN spins this, probably go back to Iran bad and parliament is run by dumb brown people or something and we need to do the white mans burden.

 

[Ghostse]

Yeah one thing that is pretty easy to speculate regarding Iran's air force, especially the now ancient US planes, the F-4's and F-14's. Even those that can still fly, have limited to almost no ability to fight. Notice how the F-22's could zip all around the F-4's undetected? Keeping the engines running through canibalization is fairly easy. Especially with the F-4's. But it's unlikely things like the sensor suites such as radar and the F-14's special optical camera have survived the test of time. And any stockpiled missiles purchased for and alongside those planes were long since spent in the Iran-Iraq war. It's likely the F-14's are limited to the vulcan cannon and maybe some crudely integrated short range ex soviet heat seekers? If even that. The F-4's are basically level bombers for standard gravity bombs. They might still have a few gun pods, assuming they still work. But those were worthless when they were new during Vietnam.

I didn't mean to imply that Iran's F-14s will be a threat to US fighters, just a fun factoid.

The F-14s Iran got were nearly US production models because they were intended to counter-balance the soviets. They are, by all reports, mostly functional - believe one or two that were damaged in action with Iraq (but flew back) were cannibalized for parts to keep the rest going.
Iran supposedly has worked with the Russians to make sure their russian-purchased

IIRC, Iran had some shitty "home made" short-range ATA missile (read "home made" as "metal cut in Iran, shaped to Russian specs, fitted with Chinese electronics) that they made 110% sure would integrate with the F-14's systems.

The real issue with them has been A) the F-14 is a 70s jet, and burns expensive high-test jet fuel like two 70s jets, so it is difficult for pilots to get hours. and B) even if the internals are fine, the airframes are WELL beyond their service life. Now the navy kept the fuckers flying nearly to 2010, but that was with retooling & four rounds of upgrades that started in the 80s for the first airframes. The wings on Iran's F-14s alone are likely over a thousand hours overdue for replacement.


Anyway, the point is their F-14s are stock 70s F-14s. Not F-14Ds. With their aeronatics package, and pilot experience, this makes them near the top fucking dogs in the region - the only thing that could come close is Jordanian and Pakistani F-16s (plus whatever the IDF puts up). Even the F-14's sensor package would be outclassed going up against F-22s & F-35s, to say nothing of improved missles.
It would probably put them about toe-to-toe with the Chinese, but the Chinese have more planes than they 20mm rounds let alone missiles.
Going against Russia, Russia would need to send their latest & best to counter the F-14s.

But that's going a bit too far. The supposed order of battle is the F-14s would orbit valuable targets and basically play AWACS for the rest of the iranian airforce; if the US were to retaliate against Iran's F-14s.....whew lads.

 

[Spicey McHaggis]

The most interesting thing there is it looks rather suspiciously like Iraqi Shiite, and Shiite members of government rather quickly sold out Soleimani, and wanted no part of what he was bringing into their country. They immediately ran to the Iraqi and US Military with info on the meetings. Soleimani may have had far fewer friends and far less influence than he thought. Just the thought of that has got to be causing some degree of panic to set in in Tehran and Qom.




Yeah one thing that is pretty easy to speculate regarding Iran's air force, especially the now ancient US planes, the F-4's and F-14's. Even those that can still fly, have limited to almost no ability to fight. Notice how the F-22's could zip all around the F-4's undetected? Keeping the engines running through canibalization is fairly easy. Especially with the F-4's. But it's unlikely things like the sensor suites such as radar and the F-14's special optical camera have survived the test of time. And any stockpiled missiles purchased for and alongside those planes were long since spent in the Iran-Iraq war. It's likely the F-14's are limited to the vulcan cannon and maybe some crudely integrated short range ex soviet heat seekers? If even that. The F-4's are basically level bombers for standard gravity bombs. They might still have a few gun pods, assuming they still work. But those were worthless when they were new during Vietnam.

Regarding the missiles, I believe they actually can manufacture them locally. The shah was trying pretty hard to become a major regional power back in the day, complete with manufacturing capacity for the weapons. I doubt they can make any of the really good stuff, but they could most likely crank out some older generation sidewinder equivalents.

 

[BONE_Buddy]

Killing Iranians, even civilians... whatever, nobody lives forever, it's retaliation. But intentionally bombing sacred cultural sites... I have no words. I finally understand why people think this guy's a psychopath. You don't do that shit, you don't destroy thousands of years of history, doesn't matter what country it is. And to think the people who condemned ISIS for destroying ancient relics are now cheering for this.

Use your critical reading skills, He did not say he was targeting cultural sites.

He said, that some sites or people who are important to Iranian culture, like the capital building or the theocratic leadership, would be hit.

So, to put as strong a point as I can on it: UNESCO world heritage sites will not be hit. single purpose religious sites will not be hit.

 

[ConfederateIrishman]

Hmm, it gives Trump an out to leave the country by saying look, their ungrateful government wants us out. Will be interesting to see how CNN spins this, probably go back to Iran bad and parliament is run by dumb brown people or something and we need to do the white mans burden.

I think CNN might actually support the Iraq government on this if they want to revive pretending to be against intervention when a Republican is in office.

 

[AnonAutismo]

I know Iraq is basically a colony of the US, but I have a stupid question: If the Iraq government requests the US withdraw, what will the US do about it? Just ignore them? Send the military into their capital? Put pressure on them so they don't do that? Or something else?

Trump would be the one guy with enough balls to refuse to move any troops out of the country. Really the question should be, if he calls their bluff, what are they going to do about it? They're not dumb enough to start shooting at US troops, that's for damn sure, and laying siege to the bases would be almost as bad as actually shooting.

 

[registered 2 hide avatars]

that was hit while getting ready to coordinate more attacks with the goal of gathering hostages

Is there any actual evidence that he was planning to take hostages?

 

[Shield Breaker]

I know Iraq is basically a colony of the US, but I have a stupid question: If the Iraq government requests the US withdraw, what will the US do about it? Just ignore them? Send the military into their capital? Put pressure on them so they don't do that? Or something else?

Trump would haul everything out and preen about another promise kept.

 

[Feline Supremacist]

Well Rose McGowan and Hollywood can eat their hearts out, here is a new King of Lunacy to replace them all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Soleimani death, Colin Kaepernick decries US 'terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people'

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick on Saturday accused the United States of targeting minorities "at home and abroad," just days after the administration ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

www.foxnews.com

http://archive.li/U1SMy

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick on Saturday accused the United States of targeting minorities "at home and abroad," just days after the administration ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

"There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism," he tweeted.

In a separate tweet, Kaepernick decried "American imperialism" and its "policing and plundering of the nonwhite world."

"America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad," he wrote. "America militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the nonwhite world."

It's unclear what specifically Kaepernick was referring to, but his comments came amid left-leaning criticism of President Trump's decision to kill Soleimani, who led the elite Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); the U.S. government has long considered him a terrorist.

Kaepernick's agent did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

The ex-NFL player previously faced a wave of backlash after he claimed to protest systemic racism by kneeling during the National Anthem. On Thanksgiving, Kaepernick attended an "Unthanksgiving event" where he accused the United States of stealing "over 1.5 billion acres of land from Indigenous people."

Kaepernick had already faced immense criticism for previous comments, apparently pressuring NFL teams to avoid recruiting him.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to quash any possibility of a Kaepernick comeback in December.

Speaking to reporters at the league’s winter meetings in Irving, Texas, Goodell addressed the scheduled Kaepernick workout for NFL teams in November -- an event that all but collapsed when Kaepernick decided at the last minute to relocate it away from the facility that he and league officials had initially agreed upon.

“This was about creating an opportunity. We created that opportunity. It was a unique opportunity, a credible opportunity,” Goodell said, according to Reuters, “and he chose not to take it. I understand that."

“We’ve moved on,” the commissioner added, suggesting that the league was finished considering Kaepernick for future workouts or team roster openings.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His twitter posts, he getting ratiod hard:

Colin Kaepernick on Twitter

“There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.”

twitter.com

http://archive.li/lo88f

Colin Kaepernick on Twitter

“America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad. America militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the non white world.”

twitter.com

http://archive.li/XQ8Kh

He's only half black, adopted and raised by a white family. Looks more white than black, even that white guy LARPing as a nigger Shaun King looks and sounds more black than he does. Anyway I don't know a single person who pays attention to him.

 

[BONE_Buddy]

Is there any actual evidence that he was planning to take hostages?

Beyond everything else we had, this is also a thing.

Slightly more information:

Israelis: Soleimani Intercept Sparked Drone Strike; US Reinforces Region - Breaking Defense

TEL AVIV: Five days ago, an undisclosed intelligence agency intercepted a telephone call made by the head of Iran’s Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in which he was heard ordering his proxies in Iraq to attack the US embassy in Baghdad, as well as other Israeli and American targets, with...

breakingdefense.com

Israelis: Soleimani Intercept Sparked Drone Strike; US Reinforces Region
TEL AVIV: Five days ago, an undisclosed intelligence agency intercepted a telephone call made by the head of Iran’s Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in which he was heard ordering his proxies in Iraq to attack the U.S embassy in Baghdad, as well as other Israeli and American targets, with the aim of taking hostages, Israeli sources say.

It’s unclear whether this was a lapse in tradecraft on the part of the usually savvy Soleimani or whether the notorious Iranian military leader’s phone calls were being routinely intercepted. Nor is it clear whether it was the US or another foe of Iran that made the intercept. Regardless, the intelligence seems to have led directly to Soleimani’s killing yesterday, which has thrown the Mideast into uproar.

Sources here say that Soleimi flew in the Airbus A-320 plane operated by Cham Wing, Flight 6Q501, which took off from Damascus at 10:30 pm and landed in Baghdad minutes before midnight. Minutes later, what are presumed to have been Hellfire missiles fired from a Predator struck and killed everyone in two cars that had picked up Suleimani and other passengers from the flight.


A large ring the Iranian military leader wore helped “forces on the ground” to immediately and positively identify Suleimani’s body. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi Muhandis, deputy commander of the Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF. Iran has confirmed both men were killed. During the US attack, sources here say US fighter aircraft were airborne to handle any immediate Iranian reaction.

The US announced this morning it was deploying 3,500 additional troops of the 82nd Airborne to the Mideast, joining 750 Airborne soldiers flown earlier this week to Kuwait. That brings the 82nd’s presence in the region to a full infantry brigade. The rapidly deployable paratroop unit keeps a “ready brigade” on alert at all times for just such crises.


Meanwhile, undisclosed numbers of US Special Operations Forces arrived in Jordan. The first elements arrived in Jordan aboard CV-22 tilt rotor aircraft that had been refueled by C-130J. They landed before the strike in the Baghdad airport. The first explanation was that the Americans want to be ready for a hostage situation following the attack by pro-Iranian militias on their embassy in Baghdad.

All this is in addition to 100 heavily armed and specially trained Marines airlifted to the US Embassy in Baghdad. The Marines traditionally provide security for US embassies.


Israel also reacted promptly to the news. Its military is on high alert. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Greece after receiving online briefings while in Athens. The Mount Hermon ski resort near the Syrian border was closed on Jan 3.

The assessments in Israel are that Iran will not retaliate immediately, but will weigh its course, and may well continue the current strategy, awaiting the results of the US election in November and, in the meantime, try to minimize the economic damage and threat to the regime’s survival. If Donald Trump remains In the White House, Iran is believed likely to negotiate changes in its nuclear agreement with the powers.

An analysis by Roman Schweizer of the Cowen Washington Research Group, who follows defense stocks, offers a grim prognosis of the successful strike: “President Trump’s decision to kill a key Iranian military official could set off a chain of retaliatory strikes on U.S. personnel and assets across the Middle East and globally. To be clear, this is the equivalent of Iran killing the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and then taking credit for it.”

The first glimmers of an active response to the strike ordered by President Trump has come from the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels, who threatened to respond “promptly and swiftly.” A strike from such a quarter would be a classic Iranian move, using proxy forces to deflect blame and ensure its efforts to drive change in the region remain paramount.

A response is also likely from Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq, which have in the past fought both against the US and the Iraqi government and alongside them against the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State. Many Iraqis are deeply conflicted about Iran’s outsized influence in their country, even among the Shia majority. But most factions are even more sensitive to US intrusions on Iraqi sovereignty and united to condemn the unilateral US strike just outside of Baghdad International Airport , which also killed a prominent Iraqi Shia militia leader. In addition to the expected outcry from Iranian proxies, the attack was denounced by Shia leaders who’ve sought some degree of independence from Tehran, including Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the country’s moderate Grand Ayatollah, Ali al-Sistani, who called for restraint on all sides.

The airline carrying the Iranians, Cham Wings, is a private Syrian company with its head office in Damascus. It was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department three years ago because “Cham Wings has cooperated with Government of Syria officials to transport militants to Syria to fight on behalf of the Syrian regime and assisted the previously-designated Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) in moving weapons and equipment for the Syrian regime, including by utilizing a relationship with another Syria-based airline, FlyDamas (FDK, Damascus).” On top of that, Treasury said, “Cham Wings’s Damascus-Dubai Int’l flight was one of the main routes SMI used to launder money throughout the region, with SMI paying all parties involved to ensure they would continue to do business with the Assad regime.”

Meanwhile, Washington political leaders reactions were muted and mixed, with most Democrats expressing varying forms of worry and concern about Iran’s reaction and most Republicans expressing resolve and support for President Trump’s action. One strain was persistent and worth noting — both parties said clearly and repeatedly the US does not seek war with Iran.

The chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, did not condemn the killing but said he remains “troubled about the impact this action will have on the safety and security of United States’ personnel and assets in the region. Rather than calming the strained tensions in the region, this action will only accelerate the cycle of violent escalation.”

He called on the Trump administration to “clearly articulate how this action, and potential future actions, will protect U.S. global interests while ensuring the safety and security of our personnel in the region and worldwide. The American people deserve to know why President Trump has brought us to the brink of another war and under what authorization.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking soon after the strike was announced, made clear congressional leaders had not been briefed on the strike beforehand — not even the so-called Gang of 8– and called for an immediate briefing for “the full Congress.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tim Kaine introduced a war powers resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation into full-blown conflict with Iran. The resolution requires that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force, but does not prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack.

“The Senate must not let this President march into another war in the Middle East without authorization from Congress,” Durbin said in a statement this evening.

War powers resolutions are privileged, meaning that the Senate will be forced to vote on the legislation.

Smith’s Senate counterpart, James Inhofe, said in a statement that “America does not and should not seek war, but it will respond in kind to those who threaten our citizens, soldiers and friends — as the President has long promised. De-escalation is preferable and possible — but only if our adversaries choose it.”

 

[registered 2 hide avatars]

Use your critical reading skills, He did not say he was targeting cultural sites.

He said, that some sites or people who are important to Iranian culture, like the capital building or the theocratic leadership, would be hit.

So, to put as strong a point as I can on it: UNESCO world heritage sites will not be hit. single purpose religious sites will not be hit.

He said, in his exact words, "we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (...) important to the Iranian culture". I don't see how else you would call that other than cultural sites. He does not mention people in that sentence. I pray you're right, of course, but your post doesn't give me much faith.

 

[ConfederateIrishman]

Trump would be the one guy with enough balls to refuse to move any troops out of the country. Really the question should be, if he calls their bluff, what are they going to do about it? They're not dumb enough to start shooting at US troops, that's for damn sure, and laying siege to the bases would be almost as bad as actually shooting.

Someone bites the bullet and sets off a chain reaction that leads to the US recolonizing Iraq and trying to contain another insurgency there?

You say they are not dumb enough to do that, but throw in someone who either wants to be a martyr or a third party wanting more chaos....

 

[It's HK-47]

Yes, thank you local NYT journalist, but how exactly would an IRGC Commander know something like this, and how exactly does this sniveling sort of approach that they're alleging fit into the whole "We just blew your heroes into tiny pieces" strategy that was literally just employed? I'm sure that the terrorists would absolutely love to have us believe that the U.S. is flinching and begging Iran not to retaliate, but did it ever occur to you that your sources have a vested interest in lying to you?

I won't even address that hashtag because I want to preserve at least some of my fucking brain cells. You are two seconds away from openly rooting for a terrorist regime and in the same breath you probably wonder why we've taken to calling you the "enemy of the people."