Unrivalled US revenge on Iran’s militias in Iraq, Syria

Islam Mohamed

The United States said it had attacked pro-Iran terrorist militias in Iraq and Syria, for the first time.

On December 29, US Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, said US F-15 fighter jets had attacked Hezbollah targets in Iraq and Syria.

He did not rule out the possibility of other measures if need be. Esper said the Defense Department had told US President, Donald Trump, that another military action might be needed.

Five goals

Esper said the US military would target command centers and arms warehouses in western Iraq and eastern Syria. He said the latest attacks were launched in self-defense and with the aim of deterring Iranian militias.

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said the attacks showed that his country would not stay silent as Iran threatens US troops in Iraq.

He said the attacks prove President Trump true in that the US would not be hand-tied as Iran threatens US troops in Iraq.

US Senator, Lindsey Graham, expressed satisfaction with the attacks. Force, he said, is the only language Iran can understand. Graham commended the administration of President Trump for bringing Iran to account over its actions in Iraq and Syria.

“Very glad to see the US strike back against Iran/Hezbollah proxies in response to the attack on American service members in Iraq,” Graham wrote on Twitter.

The attacks left 25 people dead, including three Iranian officers, and 50 members of the so-called Popular Mobilization Forces injured.

Iranian-Iraqi response

The Pentagon said one of the dead victims of the attacks was Abu Ali al-Khazaali, a senior commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces. The attacks, it said, are a mere initial action.

On December 29, deputy head of the forces, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, threatened that the forces would target US troops in Iraq.

“The blood of the martyrs and the injured victims will not go in vain,” al-Mohandis said.

Iran described the attacks, meanwhile, as a “terrorist action”. The Iranian Foreign Ministry called for respecting the sovereignty of Iraq and stopping interference in its affairs.

Mohamed al-Haidari, the head of the Religious Guidance Department at the Popular Mobilization Forces, said the attacks were a violation of the sovereignty of Iraq and of all international charters.

He called in a statement on December 30 for kicking US troops out of Iraq.