The President of the United States, Joe Biden, assured that his country will respond “at the time and in the manner it chooses” to the drone attack that killed three US soldiers and injured 34 on Sunday (January 28). became. on the border between Jordan and Syria. Under pressure to bomb Iran, the Democrat hosted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and members of the administration's national security team in the White House Situation Room, from whom he received information about the attack.
Biden announced that he would take “very rational” retaliatory measures. At the same time, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged that the incident represented “an escalation” and “requires a response,” but warned: “We are not seeking war with Iran.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, called on Biden to hit Iran “now” and “hard.” “The best answer (…) is to target Iranian oil or the Revolutionary Guards' military infrastructure that is valuable to the regime. Anything less will be viewed as weakness and will put more Americans at risk,” he warned. Tycoon and former President Donald Trump, poll favorite in the Nov. 5 election, blamed Tehran for “Biden's weakness and capitulation.”
Valdo Virgo Learn more about the attack on the US military base Tower 22 on the border between Jordan and Syria. To enlarge, open the image in a new tab
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it fired three drones against bases in Syria, including near the border with Jordan. The extremist movement, formed from an alliance of armed groups with ties to Iran, is calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and rejects Baghdad's support for Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip to reduce Hamas' weapons capacity and avenge the massacre. October 7th. The target hit last Sunday was Tower 22, a US military logistical support base that has played a crucial role in fighting the Islamic State's remaining territories.
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Iran has ruled out involvement in the attack and called the US allegations “baseless.” “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not welcome the expansion of the conflict in the region,” Tehran Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanaani said in a statement released on Sunday, emphasizing that “it is not involved in the decisions.” Resistance groups.” Biden faces a complex dilemma: With the actions of Yemen's Houthi separatist rebels against boats in the Red Sea in retaliation for the Gaza war and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah's threats against Israel, an attack on Iran could escalate the conflict in Iraq East is spreading across several countries and is getting out of control.
This Monday (29), US troops were attacked again, this time by missiles fired at Syria. “Several rockets were fired at American and coalition troops at the Shaddadi patrol base in Syria. No injuries or damage to infrastructure were reported,” said a senior Pentagon official, quoted by Agence FrancePresse, who did not want to be named. Since midOctober, Washington and alliance forces against the Islamic State have been attacked 165 times with drones, rockets, mortars and shortrange ballistic missiles 66 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and one in Jordan.
Another example of regional tensions was Israel's attack on a Hezbollah and Revolutionary Guard base south of Damascus. Three rockets killed eight people, including proIranian fighters. Among the dead were a Revolutionary Guard guard and two Hezbollah guerrillas.
“I think we will see a more forceful military response than what we have seen in recent weeks (in Yemen), but I fear that the response will not be strong enough,” said Bradley Bowman, director of the Center on Politics and Military Power at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington. “Since the October 7 massacre, I have said that the real danger to broader regional war and protecting U.S. interests lies in this administration's overly weak response. The White House believes restraint and proportionality are prudent and effective. A simple slap.” The wrist will invite our enemies to continue attacking us.
Bowman explains that there are several ways to impose heavy costs on the Islamic Republic of Iran without direct attacks on Iranian territory. “There are Revolutionary Guard personnel and associated facilities that can be attacked abroad. There are also Iranian naval units that can facilitate Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.”
IranianGerman Ali FathollahNejad Director of the Center for the Middle East and Global Order (in Berlin) said post that the United States' response to the bombing of Tower 22 involves a complicated context. “At the same time, there is a risk in Washington of reluctance toward direct war with Iran and pressure to avenge the killing of its soldiers,” he said. “While it appears that the US favors attacks on Revolutionary Guard positions in the region rather than in Iran, some elements on Iranian territory are encouraging regional tensions,” he added.
According to FathollahNejad, increasing instability in the Middle East could help distract the Iranian public's attention from a delicate internal situation. “The Islamic theocratic regime fears another historically low voter turnout in the next elections within a month,” he noted. Parliamentary elections will take place in Iran on March 1st.
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Nassim Wheel Ali FathollahNejad, director of the Center for the Middle East and the Global Order in Berlin
“Iran's insistence that it had nothing to do with the attack is reminiscent of the same claim Tehran made regarding the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Although Iran's allies may have a certain degree of independence and autonomy of action.” “It would be very risky for the Islamic Republic to allow independent actions in a dangerous context such as the war in Gaza, as Tehran fears for the security of its own regime would like to avoid direct confrontation with Israel or the USA.”
Ali Fathollah NejadDirector of the Center for the Middle East and World Order in Berlin
Fight in the streets and tunnels of Khan Yunis
Israel Defense Forces/AFP Israeli soldiers fight against Hamas extremists on the street of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announces that it has made important progress in the fight against the extremist group Hamas in Khan Yunis (South), the second largest city in the Gaza Strip and considered the faction's capital. According to Rafael Rozenszajn, IDF major and spokesman, the soldiers managed to dismantle two Hamas battalions in the east of the city and eliminated more than 2,000 of the group's members on the surface and in the tunnel complex. “Our 98th Division, supported by infantry, commandos, tanks, engineers and special forces, fights shoulder to shoulder, above ground and below ground, simultaneously. It is a new method of combat that incorporates advanced technology. Some of the components are being used for the first time,” he explained. He admitted it post that Khan Yunis is surrounded by troops. “Our forces will advance in accordance with the plan of the commanders operating in the region. In the last few days, the troops have made great progress,” he added. A total of 136 hostages remain held in Gaza. “We haven’t given up on him and we won’t give up,” the soldier said. Rozenszajn added that 9,000 Hamas fighters and 19 of the extremist group's battalion commanders have been killed since the war began on October 7.
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“Iran's insistence that it had nothing to do with the attack is reminiscent of the same claim Tehran made regarding the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Although Iran's allies may have a certain degree of independence and autonomy of action.” “It would be very risky for the Islamic Republic to allow independent actions in a dangerous context such as the war in Gaza, as Tehran fears for the security of its own regime would like to avoid direct confrontation with Israel or the USA.”
Ali FathollahNejad, director of the Center for the Middle East and the Global Order in Berlin.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announces that it has made important progress in the fight against the extremist group Hamas in Khan Yunis (South), the second largest city in the Gaza Strip and considered the faction's capital. According to Rafael Rozenszajn, IDF major and spokesman, the soldiers managed to dismantle two Hamas battalions in the east of the city and eliminated more than 2,000 of the group's members on the surface and in the tunnel complex. “Our 98th Division, supported by infantry, commandos, tanks, engineers and special forces, fights shoulder to shoulder, above ground and below ground, simultaneously. It is a new method of combat that incorporates advanced technology. Some of the components are being used for the first time,” he explained. He admitted it post that Khan Yunis is surrounded by troops. “Our forces will advance in accordance with the plan of the commanders operating in the region. In the last few days, the troops have made great progress,” he added. A total of 136 hostages remain held in Gaza. “We haven’t given up on him and we won’t give up,” the soldier said. Rozenszajn added that 9,000 Hamas fighters and 19 of the extremist group's battalion commanders have been killed since the war began on October 7.