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.

.

 

[Gustav Schuchardt]

The refinery did have AD systems (Patriot and SPAA). However, the tracking and targeting RADARs were literally circumvented. RADARs were pointed East and South. Cruise missiles came from the North, went west, and then hooked back directly behind the AD.

This particular vulnerability will be shored up with Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) a 360 degree spot and track RADAR with additional low altitude tacking capability. Though it won't be until 2022 that it is ready.

Who was manning the air defenses at that refinery? Was it the Saudis? Because that might have contributed to the poor performance of their air defenses in a non drill scenario...

 

[It's HK-47]

I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that children do not give the faintest inkling of a shit about this topic, they do not need to give a shit about this topic, and if you try to tell them about it you're just going to confuse them and scare them. Just let the kids play with their fucking Minecraft Legos and call each other gay on Fortnite.

I realize that the bulk of society seems to be made up of whimpering babies who can't control their emotions but that's no excuse to bring actual, whimpering babies who can't control their emotions into the conversation. A nine year-old is not going to have an informed opinion of Qasem Soleimani and he will never need to have one because he's fucking dead.

 

[Freddy Freaker]

View attachment 1087051

I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that children do not give the faintest inkling of a shit about this topic.

More like how to scare your child and help create the next Greta

 

[Huitzilopochtli]

More like how to scare your child and help create the next Greta

I think you're confusing that with drinking while pregnant

 

[Feline Supremacist]

Basically, whoever ran the Iraq occupation was one of the poorest students of history... in history and should probably be shot as we're still dealing with the problems 17 years later of dismantling an effective state apparatus and forgetting to properly replace it.

Paul Bremer, Yaley and MBA, Head of the Coalition Provisional Authority and Interim President of Iraq.

He got a medal and a hug from Bush instead. No one raised even an eyebrow, just business as usual in DC. It was disgusting.

I realize that the bulk of society seems to be made up of whimpering babies who can't control their emotions but that's no excuse to bring actual, whimpering babies who can't control their emotions into the conversation. A nine year-old is not going to have an informed opinion of Qasem Soleimani and he will never need to have one because he's fucking dead.

Yeah, children have no business being worried about this garbage. The only time children need to know is when you're geared up and about to deploy (depending on the age). I bet not a single soy tard at Time will ever step up.

 

[It's HK-47]

I dunno, this seems interesting. So this line of thought says there was a lookalike and that was the guy who got blown up, or how does that part play out?

A look-alike really wouldn't be unheard of, and there's even an instance of a high-profile example of that happening recently and right smack in the Middle East. For all intents and purposes, Assad had his own Qassem Soleimani. His name was Colonel Suheil "the Tiger" al-Hassan, and interestingly enough he was also "wounded" in combat around the same time that Soleimani was also "injured."

Here are pictures of Suheil al-Hassan just prior to his "injury" in 2015. Following this injury, we're now being told that this person below is Suheil al-Hassan. The Syrians have also started to portray him as exceptionally gay, for whatever reason. He also never seems to get so much as a speck of dirt on himself or his uniform anymore, no matter where he goes or who he's "fighting."



Yes, all of these men are supposedly the exact, same person because Syria has never admitted that Suheil al-Hassan was killed in that attack. As to why they're not admitting it, I would assume it to be pride. You wouldn't want to admit that the big, crown jewel of your armed forces was blown to shreds by some degenerate nobody living in a sandcastle, but to say that it took the strength of the U.S. military to finally take down your #1 guy?

Well, that's a "warrior's death" fitting of such a respected military figure, isn't it? As to why the U.S. would play along with this and take credit for their deaths even knowing that they didn't kill them, that's going to take some tinfoil hats to work your way through, so I won't bug anyone with it.

The important part is that Soleimani is dead, and another regional power wasn't blamed for his death, so there won't be an escalating tension between Iran and a nearby country. Iran will just hate America, but they hated America anyways, so... What really changed, there?

 

[Pinot Pierrot]

I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that children do not give the faintest inkling of a shit about this topic.

I was still in elementary school when the 2004 US Presidential Election was in full swing. All of our teachers held a mock election poll where we wrote on pieces of paper on who to become president, Bush Jr. or, uh... the other guy.

Most of us didn't even remember, much less realize, how big of a deal 9/11 was at the time; Bush only got a majority because all the grown-ups kept talking about him (which honestly is likely how many people still vote nowadays). We didn't even ask if he was doing a good job or not; we were more concerned with a playground war between Team Pokemon and Team Bionicle.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

Getting the exceedingly uninformed into politics is just a bad idea in general.

 

[Feline Supremacist]

Getting the exceedingly uninformed into politics is just a bad idea in general.

It's like that line in Goodfellas, people believe "that good government bullshit" instead of educating themselves on which issues matter and holding politicians accountable

 

[LetThemEatCake]

Getting the exceedingly uninformed into politics is just a bad idea in general.

The never reads beyond a headline/only pays attention very briefly when something huge is happening person with an opinion is the bane of my life. They're always wrong, but it never stops them wading it noisily the next time something attracts their attention.

Listening to people tard about the Middle East when they have zero even basic knowledge about the countries, modern histories, conflicts and rivalries or the differences between how ME societies organize themselves and how their people think and work compared to westerners .. argh. Inevitably all they have to offer is the current copy/pasted hysteria doing the rounds; in this case OMG WW3! OMG TRUMP IS A WARMONGER!

I mean, they're entitled to their opinions, and I'm entitled to dismiss or laugh at their opinions because they're fucking worthless.

 

[Ivan Shatov]

A look-alike really wouldn't be unheard of, and there's even an instance of a high-profile example of that happening recently and right smack in the Middle East. For all intents and purposes, Assad had his own Qassem Soleimani. His name was Colonel Suheil "the Tiger" al-Hassan, and interestingly enough he was also "wounded" in combat around the same time that Soleimani was also "injured."

View attachment 1087085 View attachment 1087088 View attachment 1087089

Here are pictures of Suheil al-Hassan just prior to his "injury" in 2015. Following this injury, we're now being told that this person below is Suheil al-Hassan. The Syrians have also started to portray him as exceptionally gay, for whatever reason. He also never seems to get so much as a speck of dirt on himself or his uniform anymore, no matter where he goes or who he's "fighting."

View attachment 1087091 View attachment 1087092 View attachment 1087094 View attachment 1087095 View attachment 1087096 View attachment 1087093

Yes, all of these men are supposedly the exact, same person because Syria has never admitted that Suheil al-Hassan was killed in that attack. As to why they're not admitting it, I would assume it to be pride. You wouldn't want to admit that the big, crown jewel of your armed forces was blown to shreds by some degenerate nobody living in a sandcastle, but to say that it took the strength of the U.S. military to finally take down your #1 guy?

Well, that's a "warrior's death" fitting of such a respected military figure, isn't it? As to why the U.S. would play along with this and take credit for their deaths even knowing that they didn't kill them, that's going to take some tinfoil hats to work your way through, so I won't bug anyone with it.

The important part is that Soleimani is dead, and another regional power wasn't blamed for his death, so there won't be an escalating tension between Iran and a nearby country. Iran will just hate America, but they hated America anyways, so... What really changed, there?

The downside is Russians in Iraq. They already have wheels down. They just became an energy monopoly, some of our friends in the UAE all be having lead aneurisms in the coming weeks.

The longer term downside is Israel. Doesn't matter your opinion of the people and politics, having a place to hide nukes in the Middle East was nice. Going to be sad seeing mullahs run Jerusalem.

The longer, longer term downside is the rest of Africa. It's going to the Chinese, there's going to be a population explosion of a few billion. They are all going to be CCP members without knowing it, managed by an AI that keeps them from hacking each other to death with machetes. They will be applied to complex engineering tasks to troll America while history gets rewritten by populations with larger numbers.

Eventually, this all leads to Black George Washington with Slanty Eyes. Just what they always wanted.

 

[who dare wins?]

eh... I should probably mention before I sign off for a bit, Air defenses have been but on "high alert" in the Iran threat region. Which is a "no shit" bit of reporting. However the first article saying anything about it is CNN, and I am not copying that in full. So here is the link:

US forces on high alert for possible Iranian drone attacks, and intelligence shows Iran moving military equipment

US forces and air-defense missile batteries across the Middle East were placed on high alert overnight Monday to possibly shoot down Iranian drones as intelligence mounted about a threat of an imminent attack against US targets, two US officials tell CNN.

www.cnn.com

More importantly:

Iran Launches Hunt For Soleimani ‘Mole;’ Back Channel Talks Open

TEL AVIV: The Iranian secret service is busy trying to put its hands on the person or persons that leaked the information that allowed the US to kill Maj. Gen Qassem Soleimani minutes after he got off a plane from Syria. If it was a leak… Middle Eastern sources say that the Iranians are totally...

breakingdefense.com

Iran Launches Hunt For Soleimani ‘Mole;’ Back Channel Talks Open
TEL AVIV: The Iranian secret service is busy trying to put its hands on the person or persons that leaked the information that allowed the US to kill Maj. Gen Qassem Soleimani minutes after he got off a plane from Syria. If it was a leak…

Middle Eastern sources say that the Iranians are totally bewildered by the fact that the Americans knew enough about his movements to find him and kill him.

Two days ago an Iranian politician revealed in the press that the country’s security services have launched a massive investigation to locate the security holes and whether there is a “mole” in one of the Iranian
organizations that know details of the travel plans of senior figures.


The logistics of the Friday strike at Baghdad airport certainly raise intriguing questions about where the US got its intel.

Unmanned aerial vehicles need at least three hours to reach Baghdad from Qatar, from whence it’s believed the two Predators flew; Soleimani’s plane needed an hour-and-a-quarter to get from Damascus to Baghdad. Iraqi media have been speculating that this means someone provided real time information on the Iranian general’s flight and actions on the tarmac. That, they argue, would mean a penetration of Soleimani’s inner circle. Of course, if, as we’ve reported, some of the general’s communications were being intercepted, it could be that they knew what flight he’d be on, positioned drones on station, positively identified him and his associates via camera or by someone on the ground, and took the shot.


Meanwhile, Middle Eastern sources say the US and its allies and partners are working those famous diplomatic back channels, desperate to stop or at least understand the rapid escalation of violence in the region.

Qatar’s foreign minister arrived in Teheran. (His country, of course, hosts the Al Udeid Air Force Base in Doha, home of US Central Command’s forward operating base.) In parallel, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have submitted recommendations to the country’s National Security Council, chaired by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.


Israeli sources say that there are indication that Iran has taken steps to protects some of its sensitive sites. While the sources were not specific it seems the main effort is to protect some above-ground facilities associated with Iran’s nuclear program. News broke this afternoon in Washington that six more B-52s are on their way to the region as part of the US buildup to deter or respond to any Iranian actions.

Meanwhile, the vast American Intelligence Community, working with Israel and many other allies and partners are searching every intercept, every email, every website and pushing every agent for information about when, how and if the Iranians will retaliate for the killing of the Quds commander.

Some Israeli experts say that for the Iranians, symmetry is an important rule in their general behavior. If this is correct, then Teheran is unlikely to use its substantial ballistic missile forces for retaliation. Instead, the experts say they are likely to retaliate in Iraq , which would limit their options. Some obvious targets would be American forces, the US Embassy or to try to assassinate a senior U.S defense figure during a visit to Iraq.

The other option, sources here say, is to again attack American and Saudi facilities in the Gulf region, bu that could mean many casualties, an act that would force the US to act again and push everyone further up the escalation ladder.

-End of Article-​

See you fucks later tonight.

More or less there are few options that Iran have like you said. What is likely going to happen is probably a few terrorist attacks, some attacks on oil fields and some other shit. Like I have stated before, a war with Iran would mean you would have to deal with a clusterfuck of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Kurdish militias in the north who are going to battle it out. Not only that but Iranian can be cheeky ducks and hide in the mountains. However America is well trained in asymmetrical warfare, a symmetrical war other Iran would lead to a autistic shitshow. There's a reason thy didn't go boots on the ground in 1999 in Serbia, they knew what tomfuckery awaited for them. Oh also the PMU in Iraq could try to have some shi'a coup or some shit like that if a war where to occur, fucking over America a little bit more

 

[frankie muniz found dead]

32 people killed in a stampede at Soleimani's funeral

https://www.tampabay.com/news/milit...-32-at-funeral-for-iran-general-killed-by-us/

why are stampedes so common among snackbars?

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

So when this all blows over with no American boots on Iranian ground, I expect some mass retractions and/or mass discreditings.

Like of that James Allsup video, which is now archived by me.

 

[Kacho]

why are stampedes so common among snackbars?

I don't know but apparently we should just kill a few more generals and let them take care of themselves.

 

[Dom Cruise]

Why are people talking about WW3 instead of simply a war with Iran?

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

Why are people talking about WW3 instead of simply a war with Iran?

Because muh Iran-Russia-China alliance.

 

[Shield Breaker]

why are stampedes so common among snackbars?

They're probably scared of not being seen as 'mourning' sufficiently.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

Why are people talking about WW3 instead of simply a war with Iran?

because social media is cancer for the brain.

 

[Übertroon]

More importantly:

Iran Launches Hunt For Soleimani ‘Mole;’ Back Channel Talks Open

TEL AVIV: The Iranian secret service is busy trying to put its hands on the person or persons that leaked the information that allowed the US to kill Maj. Gen Qassem Soleimani minutes after he got off a plane from Syria. If it was a leak… Middle Eastern sources say that the Iranians are totally...

breakingdefense.com

Iran Launches Hunt For Soleimani ‘Mole;’ Back Channel Talks Open
TEL AVIV: The Iranian secret service is busy trying to put its hands on the person or persons that leaked the information that allowed the US to kill Maj. Gen Qassem Soleimani minutes after he got off a plane from Syria. If it was a leak…

Middle Eastern sources say that the Iranians are totally bewildered by the fact that the Americans knew enough about his movements to find him and kill him.

Two days ago an Iranian politician revealed in the press that the country’s security services have launched a massive investigation to locate the security holes and whether there is a “mole” in one of the Iranian
organizations that know details of the travel plans of senior figures.


The logistics of the Friday strike at Baghdad airport certainly raise intriguing questions about where the US got its intel.

Unmanned aerial vehicles need at least three hours to reach Baghdad from Qatar, from whence it’s believed the two Predators flew; Soleimani’s plane needed an hour-and-a-quarter to get from Damascus to Baghdad. Iraqi media have been speculating that this means someone provided real time information on the Iranian general’s flight and actions on the tarmac. That, they argue, would mean a penetration of Soleimani’s inner circle. Of course, if, as we’ve reported, some of the general’s communications were being intercepted, it could be that they knew what flight he’d be on, positioned drones on station, positively identified him and his associates via camera or by someone on the ground, and took the shot.


Meanwhile, Middle Eastern sources say the US and its allies and partners are working those famous diplomatic back channels, desperate to stop or at least understand the rapid escalation of violence in the region.

Qatar’s foreign minister arrived in Teheran. (His country, of course, hosts the Al Udeid Air Force Base in Doha, home of US Central Command’s forward operating base.) In parallel, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have submitted recommendations to the country’s National Security Council, chaired by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.


Israeli sources say that there are indication that Iran has taken steps to protects some of its sensitive sites. While the sources were not specific it seems the main effort is to protect some above-ground facilities associated with Iran’s nuclear program. News broke this afternoon in Washington that six more B-52s are on their way to the region as part of the US buildup to deter or respond to any Iranian actions.

Meanwhile, the vast American Intelligence Community, working with Israel and many other allies and partners are searching every intercept, every email, every website and pushing every agent for information about when, how and if the Iranians will retaliate for the killing of the Quds commander.

Some Israeli experts say that for the Iranians, symmetry is an important rule in their general behavior. If this is correct, then Teheran is unlikely to use its substantial ballistic missile forces for retaliation. Instead, the experts say they are likely to retaliate in Iraq , which would limit their options. Some obvious targets would be American forces, the US Embassy or to try to assassinate a senior U.S defense figure during a visit to Iraq.

The other option, sources here say, is to again attack American and Saudi facilities in the Gulf region, bu that could mean many casualties, an act that would force the US to act again and push everyone further up the escalation ladder.

-End of Article-​

See you fucks later tonight.

Weren't they claiming earlier that Soleimani was invited by the Iraqi president to negotiate with the americans? So much for that bull excuse I guess