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.
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AnitaSarsleezian said:
It can't be understated to what degree China is able to provide endless expendable meat. My father was in the Korean war and he told me that half the battles he fought, when they were over and went to go pick through the dead bodies, often he said they found kids, and surprisingly, monkeys. He said China was supplying Korea with troops and it turns out half the troops they were supplying were 12 year old kids with rifles and amazingly monkeys. China was training monkeys to throw hand grenades and providing them to North Korea. My father said they'd literally have battles with forests full of monkeys lobbing hand grenades at them.

Doing a double take on the monkey thing I remember asking my dad once, "Shit, you killed monkeys?" He screamed at me, "What the fuck did you want me to do? They were throwing hand grenades at us!" They seem to have left that part out of MASH.
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So.... the stonecutters were backing the north koreans and chinese. The plot thickens

 
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Reactions: XtrmGamr719, MidUSA, Exterminatus and 4 others
Please note, the Iranian proxies in Iraq have promised a separate response.

So, this whole ordeal has not really deescalated in any real sense.

Also the US will have to respond. After all, this was an attempted attack on US personel launched directly from Iran. Iran was actively trying to kill Americans, but failed miserably.

Now, this response will probably be limited to Iraq, but anything is possible.
 
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MeatRokket08 said:
Holy shit CNN just admit you were wrong and stop arguing with the GODDAMN PRESS SECRETARY
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It's like they want to get shut down at this point.

Seriously, I doubt they'll survive past the first half of this decade if this is the attitude they show off.

Botchy Galoop said:
A Ukranian passenger plane has crashed near Terhan, Iran with 180 passengers, reportedly. Supposedly "technical issues."
Looking for a link.

Edit: This could be an "oh shit" moment.
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If true, could Russia finally get involved? I mean I can see it, but realistically, would they or Ukraine press on this matter?
 
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Botchy Galoop said:
A Ukranian passenger plane has crashed near Terhan, Iran with 180 passengers, reportedly. Supposedly "technical issues."
Looking for a link.

Edit: This could be an "oh shit" moment.
Click to expand...
twitter.com

Farhad Rezaei on Twitter

“#BREAKING A Ukrainian plane with 180 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from IMK Airport, Tehran. No report about casualties yet.”
twitter.com twitter.com

Went down right after takeoff.
 
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Lol. You can't make this up. What a day

Crash.png


"TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting a Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew has crashed near an airport in the capital, Tehran. There is no immediate word on injures.

The state TV report says the crash Wednesday morning is suspected to have been caused by mechanical issues.

The report did not elaborate."
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apnews.com

Iran state TV says Ukrainian airplane crashes near Tehran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting a Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew has crashed near an airport in the capital, Tehran. There is no immediate word on...
apnews.com apnews.com
 
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Negilum said:
I think you (and a lot of other people) are seriously over estimating Iran's intentions tonight/ this morning. As time drags on, it becomes more apparant that the attack was Iran's attempt to save face after their disaster earlier in the week.

This seems to be mutually understood, given that Trump's response appears to be silence, which is the most effective response if his intention is to reduce the temperature.
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Where's my spoon? I predicted this
Shoggoth said:
Some people seem to forget that there are factors in Middle Eastern diplomacy which don't exist in civilized places, like honor and saving face.
Right now the Iranians are honor bound to make noise and blame everyone and their dog for it, so Israel taking a step back allows them to pretend like they had less to do with it although everyone can be pretty sure they had at least something to do with it. While the Iranians are pissed they probably don't want to escalate with the US, so they need a way out without losing face.
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