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.

.

 

[(((Obar Lazcano Kamz)))]

death to Iran, enjoy hell.

 

[Not Really Here]

I guess this does mean war now?

It always meant war. The US is the 'Great Satan' Israel is just the 'Little Satan'.

The first amendment of the US Constitution banning a theocracy always meant that Islam must attack.

 

[PC78]

I hope this turns out for the best. I't just not worth it to be in the middle east. If Americans are killed a response is appropriate but we should just get out no matter what Democrats and "Republicans'" think about it.

 

[Feline Supremacist]

I like glassware, I do hope the price of leaded crystal drops.

 

[BONE_Buddy]

Ragıp Soylu on Twitter

“An American jet is on fire at Ain Al-Asad base in Iraq, per Al Hadath”

twitter.com

well, we have initial unconfirmed reports of a casualty, a single jet may be on fire, on the ground.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

A win for the US involves not wasting any more money and lives, on wars for Israel and Saudi Arabia, not managing to blow up yet another desert country with a gdp lower than the US military budget.

We are not responding to initial Iranian aggression on behalf of muh Jooz and Saw-deez. And boots aren't being put on the ground. Don't overreact, or you'll just look stupid in the end.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

It always meant war. The US is the 'Great Satan' Israel is just the 'Little Satan'.

The first amendment of the US Constitution banning a theocracy always meant that Islam must attack.

Yes. I love how many imbeciles think Iran is full with people meddling their own business when in fact, not only the governments, but many citizens have been told and taught all their lives that US is the enemy they all should destroy even risking their own lives. All while hang homosexuals from cranes and jail little girls for not wearing a veil. They actually hating America only for existing. Radical Islamists want to take over the world and make it muslim. This is almost a fact they need to accept.

 

[Neil]

Oh shiiiit
The Iranian Government better be fucking prepared for the consequences if they get lucky and cause a sizeable death toll.

 

[Spawn]

Well shit we are going to war. This aught to be a good one.

 

[Übertroon]

Congratulations to all of us who bought lockheed martin stocks

 

[BONE_Buddy]

Ruwayda on Twitter

“Pack of Hercules planes moving out of United States....”

twitter.com

Rawand Husen on Twitter

“#Update : There is nothing serious to worry about in #Erbil God Bless #Kurdistan God Bless our beloved people.”

twitter.com

Kaitlan Collins on Twitter

“Defense Secretary Esper just arrived at the White House carrying a large bag. Secretary Pompeo, seen reading in his car before he got out, also arrived.”

twitter.com

Lucas Tomlinson on Twitter

“Latest U.S. intelligence assessment says Iran has over 2,000 ballistic missiles: U.S. officials”

twitter.com

 

[Thornforg]

I hope this turns out for the best. I't just not worth it to be in the middle east. If Americans are killed a response is appropriate but we should just get out no matter what Democrats and "Republicans'" think about it.

I'm all for getting out of the sandbox. But if a single American life was lost in Iran's attack tonight, we should leave a trail of bodies and glass on our way out the door. Don't bother with boots on the ground. Just use up all that cold war stuff sitting in mothball and put Iran back in the right age for their mindset: The stone age.

 

[JosephStalin]

Interesting op-ed.

Add Iran's Leadership to Ash Heap of History

Addressing the British Parliament in 1982, President Ronald Reagan outlined a plan for placing the Soviet Union and Marxism-Leninism on the "ash heap of history."

patriotpost.us

Add Iran's Leadership to Ash Heap of History
Cal Thomas · Jan. 7, 2020


Addressing the British Parliament in 1982, President Ronald Reagan outlined a plan for placing the Soviet Union and Marxism-Leninism on the “ash heap of history.” It is an objective President Trump might pursue against the mullahs in Iran, who are subsidizing terrorism in the Middle East and threatening to export it elsewhere.

The latest military and verbal volleys between the United States and Iran started when a branch of the Hezbollah terrorist group (called “militants” by some reporters), attacked the American Embassy in Baghdad. Unlike the 2012 terrorist assaults in Benghazi, Libya, during which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, and two CIA operatives, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, both former Navy SEALs, were killed, while President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton did little, President Trump sent in the Marines who repelled the terrorists.

The Baghdad incident followed U.S. airstrikes that killed 25 militia members, who the U.S. had claimed were responsible for the death of an American contractor. Following the repulsion of the embassy attackers, new U.S. airstrikes near Baghdad airport killed Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force.

This prompted a response from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who said, Iran and other “free nations in the region” will take revenge on the United States. The only “free nation” in the region is Israel, which Iran has promised to destroy.

In terms of a focused verbal response, it is hard to beat what Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) said. “This is very simple: General Soleimani is dead because he was an evil b*stard who murdered Americans. The President made the brave and right call, and Americans should be proud of our service members who got the job done. Tehran is on edge — the mullahs have already slaughtered at least a thousand innocent Iranians — and before they lash out further they should know that the U.S. military can bring any and all of these IRGC butchers to their knees.”

The policy of the United States (and other truly free nations) — whether declared or undeclared — should be to destroy the dictatorial and murderous Iranian regime. The fiction of “moderates” embedded among Iranian leaders is just that. The West has long engaged in self-delusion, believing that somewhere within radical Islam there are flowers of freedom just waiting to bloom if only they are watered and fertilized properly, because doesn’t everyone want to be free?

It depends on the definition of “freedom,” which means different things to different people.

The U.S. has again demonstrated it has the power to retaliate and kill evil people, but that doesn’t solve the problem. The supply of these fanatics seems unlimited. They really believe if they are killed while killing others they will immediately ascend to Heaven where their god will dispense virgins and figs.

Sanctions are helping but sanctions are not enough. An invasion will not work and would be bloody. Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons it would likely use to threaten Israel and possibly U.S. forces in the region.
President Trump is demonstrating a toughness that was mostly absent in the Obama and Clinton administrations when it came to Iran. Obama, who released $400 million plus $1.3 billion in interest payments in cash the day after U.S. hostages were released by the regime, may have had the legal right to do so under a previous agreement with Tehran, but it looked to many like ransom money and to the Muslim world like weakness.

Tyrants and bullies count on the weakness and indecisiveness of their adversaries. The Soviet Union lost its battle for worldwide domination (though China is seeking to fill that void) because the goal of Reagan was to assign it to history’s ash heap. President Trump should make sure Iran’s mullahs are added to the pile.

 

[Shady Attorney]

And boots aren't being put on the ground. Don't overreact, or you'll just look stupid in the end.

Didn’t the US send 4000 troops down to Iraq after what happened with the embassy?

 

[RodgerDodger]

Trying to play chicken with the dudes who think they get 72 virgins if they die is, surprisingly, a really dumb idea.

And yet it is never the Mullah’s that line up to “martyr” themselves is it? It’s always some mentally retarded Palestinian kid that they suit up in a Bomb vest. The Mullah’s are far far too important to become Martyrs. That’s for the flyover people out there in rural regions.

 

[Observotron]

Imagine committing suicide just to own orange man on twatter

I really hope world leaders get banned from social media in the future. It's like high-school drama on a global scale.

 

[Agent of Z.O.G.]

We are not responding to initial Iranian aggression on behalf of muh Jooz and Saw-deez. And boots aren't being put on the ground. Don't overreact, or you'll just look stupid in the end.

Right, there's a lot of US corporations who will greatly benefit from the extra tax dollars that are redirected to their wallets.

 

[roxitp0w3rwuzdabest420]

Well boy and girls, it's nice knowing you. Neocons always had a hard on for Iran. Lets just hope this is the last country. 4 wars in 30 years all taking place in the fucking desert for oil, saudis, israel and americas desperate attempt to remain the sole superpower.

 

[Not Really Here]

We are not responding to initial Iranian aggression on behalf of muh Jooz and Saw-deez. And boots aren't being put on the ground. Don't overreact, or you'll just look stupid in the end.

I love those people spewing crap 'Jews Jews Jews' while ignoring the thousand year march of Islam stealing land from everyone else.

I wonder how much of it is agitprop paid for by the inbreds in the M.E.

 

[FemalePresident]

Can't wait for Kuwait's reaction