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| Biden stated that it was too much. The US is preparing a response to the Tower 22 attack |
| 2024-01-30 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. By Artemy Sharapov [REGNUM] Three US Army personnel were killed in an overnight drone attack on a US army base in Jordan. 34 American soldiers are listed as wounded. The information has already been confirmed by the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The number of injured is expected to rise as doctors assess the victims. This is the first attack on US military bases that has led to real casualties in the US Army in recent years. The “tower” covered the “revolutionary commandos” The target of the attack was a military base known as Tower 22, located just meters from the border between Jordan and Syria. According to the command, the base was attacked by a kamikaze drone launched from Syrian territory. “About 350 US Army and Air Force personnel are stationed at the base, performing a number of key tasks, including supporting coalition forces for the final defeat of ISIS (the organization’s activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation),” CENTCOM said. The Tower 22 base is adjacent to the largest refugee camp, Rukban, located in the city of At-Tanf on the Syrian side of the border. It forms a single complex together with the At-Tanf military base, located on the Syrian side of the border, and the largest Rukban refugee camp, Yuri Lyamin, an expert and author of a number of publications on the situation in the Middle East, told IA Regnum. “The At-Tanf base and the de facto American occupation zone created around it blocks the shortest road from the central regions of Syria to Iraq. The Rukban refugee camp serves as one of the justifications for the occupation and also as a breeding ground for American-backed militants who help the United States control the area,” the expert noted. Previously, a number of officials in the Syrian government, the Russian ministries of defense and foreign affairs have repeatedly stated that the Pentagon is using the base to train militants from the Maghavir al-Tawra group (Revolutionary Commando Army) and a number of others. The refugee camp has thus been turned by the US military into a shield to cover up its illegal activities in Syria. The base also covers a strategically important area where the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq meet, blocking the possibility of direct communication between the countries. WHO IS BEHIND THE ATTACK The Islamic Resistance in Iraq movement, which had previously attacked a number of US Army targets in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the Tower 22 attack. The movement unites several groups of Iraqi Shiites who previously participated in the fighting against ISIS - and is believed to have the support of fellow believer Iran. The group's statement emphasized that the attack was a response to Washington's support for Israel's actions against the Gaza Strip. US President Joe Biden said that responsibility for the attack lies with groups receiving support from Iran. And he promised to respond to the attack with the forces of the United States Army. “We have no doubt that we will bring all those responsible to justice at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said. Statements that the attack on the American base is an episode of a proxy war between Iran and the United States at the hands of Tehran-oriented groups look plausible. The so-called “Islamic Resistance of Iraq” is considered by many publications to be a “rebranding” of the pro-Iranian group “Hashd al-Shaabi” (“Popular Mobilization Forces”), which is an irregular formation of the Iraqi army. However, this group is less subordinate to Baghdad and much more oriented towards Iran. This version is supported by footage published on the Internet showing weapons being used to attack American military bases. These include Paveh cruise missiles, Shahed-101 drones and other Iranian-made weapons. Presumably, it was the Shahed-101 drones that were used to attack Tower 22, since these drones are a more difficult aerodynamic target and, therefore, can bypass American air defenses. Since October 2023, Iranian-backed groups have carried out at least 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, CNN reports. A wide range of weapons are used to carry out strikes, including various types of drones and cruise missiles. As a rule, targets are intercepted by American air defenses, but in some cases attacks have resulted in damage to equipment, buildings and military infrastructure. The US Air Force in response carries out regular attacks on the bases of armed Shiite Muslim groups operating in Syria and Iraq. Now, by attacking American military targets, local armed groups are trying to force Washington to put pressure on the Israeli authorities and demand that they stop the operation in the Gaza Strip. But, as mentioned above, this is the first incident in recent years in the “proxy war” in which American military personnel died. HOW CAN THE US RESPOND? According to American media, the attack on the US base in Jordan expands the conflict zone in the Middle East and puts the White House before a difficult choice. Washington will have to either enter into open confrontation with Iran, or begin to withdraw its forces from the Middle East, notes Bloomberg. One scenario for a retaliatory strike could be the liquidation of Iranian military and political figures in a number of Middle Eastern countries, similar to the liquidation of General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in Baghdad in January 2020. It is also possible to launch a massive strike against Islamic Resistance targets in Iraq and Syria and eliminate individual leaders of the group. On Thursday, January 4, a US Air Force strike killed one of the Hashd al-Shaabi commanders, Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi. Also, the target of American strikes has already become the base of pro-Iranian forces in the area of the city of Al-Bukemal on the border of Syria and Iraq. It seems that the United States is ready to escalate the conflict and expand the list of targets for the next attack. Users of monitoring services that specialize in tracking air traffic recorded the takeoff of six US Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft at once, heading across the Atlantic Ocean towards the east. Previously, similar actions preceded massive air strikes by the US Air Force against targets in the Middle East. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham spoke out in support of a tough response against Iran. “I urge the Biden administration to strike critical targets inside Iran not only as retaliation for the killing of our soldiers, but also as a deterrent to possible future aggression,” Graham said. American media state that the White House can enlist the support of all political forces in the country to launch a large-scale retaliatory strike. Moreover, this is not the first time that American troops in the Middle East have become the target of an attack. However, the United States will try not to start a big war in the Middle East. At least for now, noted Yuri Lyamin. “As for the US response, they are now clearly trying to calibrate it in such a way that, on the one hand, they show strength, and on the other hand, do not lead to a full-scale war with Iran and its allies,” the expert points out. However, at the same time, the slow escalation that has continued since October leaves the parties with less and less room for maneuver. And the stronger the US response, the more powerful a response should be expected from their opponents. At the same time, Washington cannot “give back” and show its weakness. Shiite Muslim paramilitaries shelling US Army bases are demanding the White House stop supporting the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip. However, taking such a step for the United States would mean a loss of its authority and position in the Middle East region. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #12 Go back and watch the first Top Gun, when the radar operator was trying to tell if there are one or two blimps on his screen. If you can park yourself close enough to another fuselage, radar sometimes blends them together till you are really close. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-01-30 11:37 |
| #11 The Ay Pee has a story out about the attack saying the US might have mistaken the drone for a 'friendly'. AP Cover for not responding at all? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2024-01-30 10:39 |
| #10 that a certain mod...intends to harass me Everybody has a Grom. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-01-30 10:27 |
| #9 Ditto concealed can of spinach. |
| Posted by: Count Galeazzo Grelet1495 2024-01-30 10:17 |
| #8 Tats... I'll have to check. Shudder. |
| Posted by: Count Galeazzo Grelet1495 2024-01-30 10:15 |
| #7 And once again we see, comrades, that a certain mod, having appointed himself head fact-chucker in charge, intends to harass me every time I play fast and loose with the truth! NO, damm yer totalitarian eyes, no pipe! And no muscles, either. But other than that... [toot toot] |
| Posted by: Count Galeazzo Grelet1495 2024-01-30 10:13 |
| #6 ^ Corncob pipe included? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2024-01-30 09:51 |
| #5 There's a little old homeless gal in my neighborhood who could be Popeye's twin sister. Not even kidding. Scary resemblance. But what's really scary is that the poor timid creature, obviously mostly going through the motions at this point, is far more present and articulate than our President. And that, having verified she retains control of her take, I can slip her a few bucks with more confidence that they'll be spent wisely than if they'd gone to any level of government. |
| Posted by: Count Galeazzo Grelet1495 2024-01-30 09:32 |
| #4 "Now you've done it..." |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2024-01-30 09:14 |
| #3 "It's all we can stands 'cause we can't stands no more. We shall respond at a time and place of our own choosing. As soon as we can figure out what the fook to do." -- Joe Biden, Leader of the Free World |
| Posted by: SteveS 2024-01-30 09:04 |
| #2 NBC’s Jacobs: Iran Will Keep Encouraging Attacks, Sees U.S. as Afraid to Hit Them Directly |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-01-30 08:26 |
| #1 A harshly worded response. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2024-01-30 08:00 |