Other Developments in Middle East
Sana'a, Yemen, January
26, 2024
Syria
Three U.S. troops were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack on the U.S. Al Tanf Military Base on January 28. The base sits partly in Jordan and partly, illegally, in Syria. It is reported that the drone hit a place known as Tower 22, on the Jordanian side of the military base. Jordan has subsequently denied the drone strike took place on its territory. The U.S. uses the Al Tanf base to house and train ISIS splinter groups in its proxy war against Syria.
U.S. President Joe Biden claimed the strike was carried out by "Iran-backed militant groups" as did U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in a press release. "I am outraged and deeply saddened by the deaths of three of our U.S. service members and the wounding of other American troops in an attack last night against U.S. and Coalition forces, who were deployed to a site in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS. These brave Americans and their families are in my prayers, and the entire Department of Defense mourns their loss. Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on U.S. forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing. The President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests."
Iran's mission to the United Nations in a statement rejected it played any part in the drone attack on the U.S. military outpost. The Iranian mission added that the incident was part of the "conflict between the army of the United States of America and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks." Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, "The resistance groups in the region do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran in their decisions and actions. The Islamic Republic has no involvement in the resistance groups' decisions on the way they support the Palestinian nation or defend themselves and the people of their countries in the face of any aggression and occupation." Iran reiterated that the constant violation of the national sovereignty of Iraq and Syria by U.S. forces as well as attacks against groups and people in those countries and Yemen is the main cause of escalating instability.
In related news, four members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard serving in an advisory capacity were killed January 20 in the Syrian capital of Damascus when Israeli warplanes struck a residential building they were staying in. Iran confirmed the deaths of the Guard members.
Iraq
The Ain al-Asad air base housing U.S. troops in Iraq, on January 20, came under attack by resistance forces opposing U.S. support for the Israeli regime's war on Gaza. The attacks on U.S. forces were the largest in scope and size since early October when resistance groups in Iraq began to target U.S. positions in the country and in neighbouring Syria in a bid to force the U.S. to withdraw its support from Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Yemen
Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement, also known as the Houthis, warned the United States and its allies against any violation of the country's sovereignty amid the Yemeni Army's anti-Israeli operations in the Red Sea. "We affirm that Yemen will not allow any violation of its sovereignty, [and] will confront any aggression it faces," spokesperson Abdul-Salam said on January 21. He added: "We affirm our support for the Palestinian people by exerting pressure on Israel to stop its criminal aggression against Gaza." He also urged the United States to "stop evading responsibility for ending the aggression against Gaza."
The U.S. website AntiWar.com writes that U.S. officials told the Washington Post on January 27 that the Biden administration is planning for a "sustained military campaign" against the Houthis in Yemen "even as over a week of near-daily bombing has done nothing to deter the group and has only dramatically escalated the situation."
The report said U.S. officials "could not put any timeline on how long the conflict will last, only saying they don't expect it to drag on for 'years,' as did U.S. wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan." The report said the officials acknowledged they cannot identify an "end date or provide an estimate for when the Yemenis' military capability will be adequately diminished."
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 8 - January 31, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS540813.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca