Shi’i armed groups fire three missiles at U.S. base in Syria

Armed Shi’i militias from the ‘Islamic Resistance of Iraq’ movement have launched a missile attack on the U.S. military base near the Koniko gas field in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, the Sham FM radio station said, adding that three missiles were fired.

Eyewitnesses reported explosions on its premises. There were no other details so far.

On February 8, the US military base near the Al-Omar oilfield in eastern Syria came under a drone attack.

Since October 17, 2023, US facilities in the region were targeted with 168 attacks. The Shi’i militias informed that they had conducted those operations "in response to the aggression unleashed against the Palestinians by the US-backed occupation regime of Israel.".

#IranSatire - The "military strategy" of Joe (Biden) Tzu

Biden's "art of war" "Give your enemies enough time to evacuate their bases before you attack them"

From a Telegram channel identified by the Revolutionary Guards quoting Military Eye. They are of course laughing about the Americans' advance notice of the attack in Iraq and Syria.

CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Strikes in #Iraq and #Syria

At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.

U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions.

The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storage, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.

[JUST IN] U.S. base in eastern Syria attacked by drones

A US-controlled military base located near the Al-Omar oil field in the eastern Syrian region of Deir ez-Zor, was attacked by drones on Thursday, the Al Mayadeen television reported.

According to the report, the facility was attacked by three UAVs. Sounds of "powerful explosions" were heard. No information about potential damage is available at this point.

After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, rocket and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq have become more frequent. Shiite militias have warned that they will increase the number of armed operations in Syria and Iraq if the U.S. continues to provide military aid to Israel.

A large share of the Syrian provinces of Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, located in the east and northeast of the country, is currently controlled by the US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces. Since 2015, the US command has established nine military bases in this area. At the end of 2019, then U.S. President Donald Trump approved a plan that would leave several hundred US troops in Syria. One of their main tasks was to ensure control of oil fields in the northeast and east of the country.

U.S. to respond to attack on its forces in Middle East, says White House

The U.S. government is now focused on responding to a recent strike targeting a US military base on the Jordanian-Syrian border, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters.

When asked whether the US was planning to act independently or in coordination with its partners to retaliate for the attack, Kirby replied: "We're focusing on US response, they killed American troops."

He also said the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group was responsible for the attack, which left three US service members dead and over 40 wounded. "We believe the attack in Jordan was planned, resourced and facilitated by an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which contains multiple groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah," he said.

When asked whether Kata'ib Hezbollah played a key role in the attack, the US official replied: "This certainly has the earmarks of the kinds of things Kata’ib Hezbollah does." However, he emphasized that "attribution that our intelligence community is comfortable with is that this was done by the umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq."

World War Three is approaching fast, and too few are willing to admit why

Are we on the brink of a third world war? In the age of “peak apocalypse”, it is easy to laugh off such a question. After all, we already find ourselves on permanent pandemic-watch, are besieged daily by predictions of ecological collapse, and drip-fed a diet of dystopian drama by crude Netflix algorithms. But the risk of a global war has surely not been so high since America was locked in an existential battle against the USSR.

Around the world, authoritarian regimes are failing. In an era of global stagnation, their inability to deliver on promises to provide jobs, tackle poverty and grow their middle classes is coming to a head. Paranoid about internal dissent, autocrats thus have a growing incentive to bet the farm on shoring up their power by focusing on external enemies, whether via expansionist regional wars or high-risk existential conflicts against the West.

The fast-moving crisis that has erupted following a drone attack on a US base near Jordan’s border with Syria is a perfect example of our frightening new reality. Although Iran has denied any direct involvement, it is clear that it is deeply implicated in what is merely the latest in a string of Tehran-linked attacks designed to drive the US from the Middle East.

Fearing U.S. action, Iran evacuates Syrian positions

SOHR, a reliable source of news in Syria reported that for fear of American response after about 34 American soldiers killed and injured, Iranian-backed militias evacuated many Syrian positions.

Deir Ezzor province: The Iranian-backed militias continue to be on alert, repositioning and changing their locations along the Euphrates River strip from Al-Bokamal city to Al-Mayadeen city in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where Iranian-backed militias evacuated about 12 locations in the cities of Al-Bokamal and Al-Mayadeen and the areas surrounding them, and moved to alternative locations, for fear of the American response after three American soldiers were killed and 25 others were injured, following the attack that targeted an American military base in Jordan.

Yesterday, SOHR reported that four U.S. helicopters have flew over the U.S. base in Koniko Gas Field northern of Deir Ezzor City, coinciding with two U.S. cargo planes landing in the base.

This coincided with the repositioning of Iran-backed groups in Iran-held areas on the line of Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor, in addition to the Syrian Desert.

'All eyes look now to Joe Biden. Will his response be feeble, or strong? Will it be a "one-time event", or will it be a new policy?'

U.S. CENTCOM Strikes Houthi Terrorist Missile Launchers'

🔶️ "In the context of ongoing multi-national efforts to protect freedom of navigation and prevent attacks on U.S. and partner maritime traffic in the Red Sea, on Jan. 17 at approximately 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting U.S. forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves. These strikes, along with other actions we have taken, will degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden."

🔶️ “The actions by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists continue to endanger international mariners and disrupt the commercial shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea and adjacent waterways,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander. "We will continue to take actions to protect the lives of innocent mariners and we will always protect our people.”

U.S. launches fourth round of strikes in a week against Houthi targets in Yemen

🔶️ The U.S. conducted its fourth round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in just under a week on Wednesday after the Houthis continued targeting commercial vessels, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. The strikes targeted several sites that were prepared to launch attacks, according to the official.

🔶️ The Biden administration has tried to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading into a wider conflict, but since that war began, there has been a steady drumbeat of attacks against U.S. forces by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria along with the Houthi attacks on commercial ships.

ISIS has now claimed responsibility for yesterday's terrorist attacks in the city of Kerman

They say it was carried out with two suicide bombers, by the codenames of 'Omar Al-Muwahhid' and 'Sayfullah Al-Mujahid', killing a large concentration of 'Shia polytheists' near Qasem Soleimani's grave.

Interesting to note that prior to ISIS officially taking credit for the massacre in Kerman, they condemned Hamas and urged Palestinians to give up on nationalism.

As anticipated, the blame for this incident will likely be placed on the underdogs of the Islamic State. However, it is important not to be misled - the members of ISIS are no longer who they used to be, and they would never organize a terrorist attack themselves.

Nevertheless, the possible escalation that may occur in the Middle East, particularly in light of the intense attacks on Iranian proxies in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, benefits other actors.

Two U.S. Navy Amphibs Leave Red Sea Despite Houthi Attacks on Shipping

🔶️ The two U.S. Navy amphibs that were deployed to the Red Sea to deter Iranian-allied Houthi rebels have now been withdrawn to the Mediterranean, though attacks by Houthi forces continue unabated.

🔶️ On Thursday, USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall - two-thirds of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) - transited north through the Suez Canal. They are headed to meet up with the third vessel in their unit, USS Mesa Verde, and will reassemble as a full ARG.

🔶️ So far, the Biden administration has chosen not to use these capabilities (or other U.S. Navy and SOCOM assets) to counter the Houthi threat to merchant shipping. Since the beginning of the Israeli operation in Gaza, Houthi rebels have seized one Israeli-linked merchant ship and launched more than 100 drones and missiles at vessel targets in the Red Sea, including U.S. Navy warships.

🔶️ Saudi Arabia has reportedly urged the White House to refrain from striking Houthi launch sites, for several reasons. The Houthi movement is closely tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and it receives substantial financial and material support from Iran. Attacking Houthi units on the ground could scuttle ceasefire talks between Saudi leaders and Houthi forces, and simultaneously set back Saudi attempts to normalize relations with Iran. The Houthis also have the capability to retaliate by launching missiles at Saudi oil infrastructure, and have done so in the past.

🔶️ USS Bataan and Carter Hall may have a different mission now in the Mediterranean. The carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has had her deployment in the Mediterranean extended twice already in order to maintain deterrence against Iranian-aligned militants in Syria and Lebanon. The reconstituted Bataan ARG might have enough firepower to relieve Ford on station off Israel, allowing allow the carrier to go home at last (as previously planned, noted USNI). The carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which was originally scheduled to relieve Ford, is needed in the Gulf of Aden to assist in countering the Houthi drone threat.