Pentagon knows who’s responsible for Jordan drone attack
The US and UK have struck Houthi targets in Yemen, just hours after the US conducted retaliatory airstrikes on 85 sites in Iraq and Syria due to the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan.
Saturday’s strikes are a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East as the US ramps up its action against Iranian-backed militias and groups.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen, which are backed by Iran, launched a series of attacks on Israel as well as commercial and military ships in the Red Sea – leading to the US and UK launching targeted attacks. On top of this, the US launched airstrikes on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and its affiliates as retaliation for the three American soldiers’ deaths.
The US attacks on Iran-backed militias this weekend came as the Israel-Gaza war rages on. The Iraqi government warned on Saturday that the escalating tensions were pushing the region “to the brink of the abyss.”
Analysis: Biden’s airstrikes will escalate tensions in the Middle East – there could be worse to come
Washington said numerous aircraft, including long range B-1 bombers flown all the way from the States, pounded more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s revolutionary guards (IRGC) and its affiliates, strikes which may have killed as many as 40 people.
The sorties, which involved the firing over of 125 munitions, were in retaliation for last weekend’s attack by Iran-backed militants on US forces in Jordan. They will not be the last.
“This is the start of our response,” said US defense secretary Lloyd Austin.
More will come, President Joe Biden warned. “If you harm an American, we will respond,” the president added.
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 22:30
US strikes six Houthi cruise missiles in Yemen
On Saturday, the US Central Command said it had struck six Houthi cruise missiles in Yemen as the Iranian-backed rebel group was preparing to launch them against ships in the Red Sea – as part of its ongoing conflict with Yemeni rebel group.
US forces determined the cruise missles “presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.”
It comes just days after the US struck a Houthi drone base in Yemen after determining it also presented an “imminent threat” to merchand and navy vessels.
“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels,” Us Central Command said.
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 22:00
Nine Syrians killed in airstrikes
A total of 23 people, including nine Syrians, were killed during the US’s airstrikes on Iraq and Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.
The group indicated that 13 people were killed in Al-Mayadeen city and 10 were killed in the countryside of Deir Ez-Zor.
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 21:30
Biden authorises sanctions on Israeli settlers for ‘extremist violence’ in West Bank
President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an executive order granting the Treasury Department the power to issue sanctions against Israelis complicit in the illegal settlement movement, which has been blamed for provoking tensions between Palestinians and the Israeli government.
In a message to Congress announcing the new sanctions, Mr Biden said he’d declared a national emergency “to deal with the threat posed by the situation in the West Bank, including in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction”.
“Such actions constitute a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region and undermine the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States,” he added.
John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg report:
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 21:00
Iraq calls airstrikes ‘blatant aggression’
A spokesperson for the Iraqi government conedmened the US’s airstrikes targeting the Popular Mobilization Forces, calling it an act of “blatant aggression.”
“This aggressive airstrike will push the security situation in Iraq and the region to the brink of the abyss,” Basim Alawadi said.
“We assert that the presence of the international coalition, which deviated from its assigned tasks and granted mandate, has become a reason for endangering security and stability in Iraq. It also serves as a justification for entangling Iraq in regional and international conflicts,” Mr Alawadi said.
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 20:45
Iraq warns Middle East is on ‘brink of the abyss’ after US revenge strikes
The Iraqi government has warned that the Middle East is “on the brink of the abyss” after retaliatory US airstrikes reportedly killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
On Friday, the US carried out strikes on 85 targets at seven facilities in Iraq and Syria in response to a drone attack at a remote base in Jordan that killed three American service members and injured around 40 others on 28 January.
The US strikes killed almost 40 people, according to a Reuters report. Shortly after the attack, Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem Al-Awadi warned that the attacks risked destabilizing the entire Middle East.
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 20:00
ICYMI: Biden attends dignified transfer for US troops killed in Jordan drone attack
Biden attends dignified transfer for US troops killed in Jordan drone attack
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 19:30
Jordan denies involvement in US airstrikes
The General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces denied involvement in the recent US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
In a statement published by the Jordanian News Agency, an official of the Armed Forces “dismissed the allegations as unfounded, emphasizing the Jordanian army’s respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and highlighting the enduring fraternal ties between the Kingdom and other Arab states.”
It contradicts claims made in press reporters earlier in the day, Dana Zureikat Daoud – a spokesperson for the Jordanian Embassy in DC – said on X.
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 19:00
Iraq received prior warning of US airstrikes, senior administration official says
Amid conflicting reports from Iraqi government officials and US government officials, a senior administrator told NBC News that Iraq did in fact receive warnings of American airstrikes prior to the action.
Though the US did not give Iraq a “huge heads up” they said it would be inaccurate to claim Iraq did not know beforehand.
Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, previously said the US’s claim that they notified Iraq beforehand was “lies.”
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 18:20
Watch: US deploys bombers to strike targets in Iraq and Syria
US deploys bombers to strike targets in Iraq and Syria
Ariana Baio3 February 2024 17:49