The United States took retaliation for two consecutive days on the 2nd and 3rd in response to the incident in which three American soldiers stationed in Jordan were killed in an airstrike by a pro-Iranian armed group. On the 2nd, airstrikes were carried out against pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq and Syria, and on the 3rd, they attacked Yemen’s Shiite rebels, the Houthis. This is the first time that the United States has conducted large-scale direct military operations in the Middle East for two days in a row since the Middle East war broke out due to an attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas in October last year, raising tensions throughout the Middle East.
Iran immediately warned that it was “an adventure and a strategic mistake that will increase tensions in the region.” Russia, which supports Iran, convened the United Nations Security Council on the 5th and announced its intention to take issue with the U.S. attack.
The U.S. military’s Central Command announced through social media ‘ This was in retaliation for the attack on the US military base ‘Tower 22’ in Jordan on the 27th of last month by Iraq’s pro-Iranian armed group ‘Khate Hezbollah’ (KH), which killed three US soldiers and injured about 40 others.
In the air raid that day, which lasted about 30 minutes, many fighter-bombers, including the US strategic bomber ‘B-1B Lancer’, known as the ‘Swan of Death’, were dispatched. CNN and others did not reveal the specific name, but reported that this fighter-bomber was launched from the U.S. mainland. The distance between Washington, D.C. and Baghdad, Iraq is approximately 9,960 km. Tomahawk cruise missiles were also mobilized.
U.S. President Joe Biden attended the repatriation ceremony for the remains of three deceased U.S. soldiers held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, near Washington, on this day. “(Military operations) will continue at a time and place of our choosing,” he said in a statement, predicting further attacks against pro-Iranian groups.
At least 39 people, including 23 in Syria and 16 in Iraq, were killed in the attack, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian human rights group. The Iraqi government said that some of its dead were civilians. Both countries opposed the US attack, calling it a “violation of sovereignty.”
On the 3rd, the US military, in conjunction with the British military, conducted airstrikes on more than 36 Houthi bases in Yemen. A Houthi drone was also shot down in the Red Sea area. The Houthis have supported Hamas ever since the outbreak of the Middle East war. They also continue to attack Western civilian ships in the Red Sea area for siding with Israel.
The so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’, including Iran, strongly opposed it. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted, “The U.S. attack was planned to cover up the Zionist regime’s (Israel) crimes in the Gaza Strip,” and added, “The UN Security Council must prevent America’s illegal and unilateral attack.” Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia armed group, also said, “We have become determined to liberate Iraq and Syria from American occupation.”
The Houthis also expressed their intention to continue attacks on civilian ships in the Red Sea area, saying, “We will counter any escalation of tensions with escalation of tensions.” Russia called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council, saying, “The United States has shown the world that it completely ignores international law.”
However, it is currently unlikely that this will lead to a full-scale escalation of war, such as Iran directly counterattacking this attack by the United States. The New York Times quoted a senior U.S. official as saying, “A direct strike against Iranian territory was not considered.” The fact that the attack on the 2nd was carried out two days after receiving President Biden’s approval means that the United States is also controlling the level. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also said, “We will not start any war.”
However, U.S. conservatives point out that the level of retaliation is low and that it is difficult to send an effective warning to pro-Iranian armed groups. According to the NYT, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank, responded that a weak response “could be seen as boosting the morale of the enemy or as if the United States is afraid of the enemy.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.