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Archive for January 2020

Trump: Iran Will Pay ‘Very BIG PRICE’ for Embassy Attack; ‘This Is Not a Warning, It Is a Threat’

January 1, 2020

Source: Trump: Iran Will Pay ‘Very BIG PRICE’ for Embassy Attack; ‘This Is Not a Warning, It Is a Threat’

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

2:05

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that Iran will pay a “very big price” after pro-Tehran forces attacked the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

“The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request,” the president tweeted.

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

· 11h

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request….

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

….Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!

82.1K

11:19 PM – Dec 31, 2019

“Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!” he added.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad remained locked down Tuesday after hundreds of Iraqi protesters who attempted to storm the compound failed to gain entry, U.S. officials said.

An embassy spokesman told CNN the embassy personnel were secure following an assault by protesters who were angered by a series of deadly American airstrikes carried out Sunday against an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group in Iraq and Syria.

Protesters entered the heavily fortified “Green Zone” near the compound after apparently being granted access by Iraqi security forces and gathered at the walls of the embassy itself to denounce the U.S. airstrikes against the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia.

U.S. officials blamed the militia for the death of a U.S. contractor in Kirkuk, Iraq, late last week.

Hours after the attack, President Trump accused Iran of orchestrating the event, vowing to “strongly responded.”

“Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!” the president wrote on Twitter.

The UPI contributed to this report.

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Militia Leader Who Led Raid on U.S. Embassy a White House Visitor

January 1, 2020

Source: Militia Leader Who Led Raid on U.S. Embassy a White House Visitor

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

6:55

Iranian militia leader Hadi al-Amiri, one of several identified as leading an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, reportedly visited the White House in 2011 during the presidency of Barack Obama.

On Tuesday, a mob in Baghdad attacked the U.S. embassy in retaliation against last weekend’s U.S. airstrikes against the Iran-backed Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah (KH), responsible for killing an American civilian contractor. KH is one of a number of pro-Iran militias that make up the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF/PMU), which legally became a wing of the Iraqi military after fighting the Sunni Islamic State terrorist group.

President Donald Trump has since accused Iran of having “orchestrated” the embassy attack and stated that the government would be “held fully responsible.”

Breitbart News reporter John Hayward described the attack on the embassy, writing:

The mob grew into thousands of people, led by openly identified KH supporters, some of them wearing uniforms and waving militia flags. The attack began after a funeral service for the 25 KH fighters killed by the U.S. airstrikes. Demonstrators marched through the streets of Baghdad carrying photos of the slain KH members and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who condemned the American airstrikes.

KH vowed to seek revenge for the airstrikes on Monday. Both KH and the Iranian military unit that supports it, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. The government of Saudi Arabia also described KH as one of several “terrorist militias supported by the Iranian establishment” in remarks on Tuesday condemning the assault on the U.S. embassy.

The attackers were able to smash open a gate and push into the embassy compound, lighting fires, smashing cameras, and painting messages such as “Closed in the name of resistance” on the walls. Gunshots were reportedly heard near the embassy, while tear gas and stun grenades were deployed by its defenders.

A uniformed militia fighter on the scene in Baghdad told Kurdish news service Rudaw that attacks were also planned against the U.S. consulates in Erbil and Basra, with the goal of destroying the consulates and killing everyone inside.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that among those agitating protesters in Baghdad on Tuesday was Hadi al-Amiri, a former transportation minister with close ties to Iran who leads the Badr Corps, another PMF militia.

In 2011, both Fox News and the Washington Times noted that then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki brought his transportation minister, al-Amiri, to a meeting at the White House. The Times noted that the White House did not confirm his attendance, but the official was on Iraq’s listed members of its delegation.

The al-Amiri accompanying al-Maliki, besides also being transportation minister, was identified at the time as a commander of the Badr organization, further indicating it was the same person. At the time, the outlets expressed concern that al-Amiri had ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the FBI has stated played a role in a 1996 terrorist attack that killed 19 U.S. servicemen. President Donald Trump designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization, the first time an official arm of a foreign state received the designation.

Fox News’ Ed Henry questioned White House Press Secretary Jay Carney following the visit about the attendance of al-Amiri at the White House. Carney refused to answer and stating that he would need to investigate the issue. The full transcript from RealClearPolitics reads:

Ed Henry, FOX News: When Prime Minister Maliki was here this week there have been reports that a former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which U.S. officials say played a role in a 1996 terrorist attack that killed 19 U.S. servicemen.

He was here at the White House with Prime Minister Maliki because he’s a transportation minister, yeah, transportation minister —

Jay Carney, WH: Who’s [sic] report is that?

Henry: I believe the Washington Times has reported it. I think others have as well, but I think this is a Washington Times —

Carney: I have to take that question then, I’m not aware of it.

Henry: Can you just answer it later though, whether he was here and whether a background check had been done?

Carney: I’ll check on it for you.

Henry: Okay, thanks.

In 2016, Obama secured a deal with Iran which included a payment of $1.7 billion in cash. Breitbart News reporter John Hayward reported in September of 2016:

On Tuesday, the Obama administration finally admitted something its critics had long suspected: The entire $1.7 billion tribute paid to Iran was tendered in cash — not just the initial $400 million infamously shipped to the Iranians in a cargo plane — at the same moment four American hostages were released.

“Treasury Department spokeswoman Dawn Selak said in a statement the cash payments were necessary because of the ‘effectiveness of U.S. and international sanctions,’ which isolated Iran from the international finance system,” said ABC News, relating what might be one of history’s strangest humblebrags. The sanctions Obama threw away were working so well that he had to satisfy Iran’s demands with cold, hard cash!

By the way, those sanctions were not entirely related to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. As former prosecutor Andrew McCarthy pointed out at National Review last month, they date back to Iran’s seizure of hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, its support for “Hezbollah’s killing sprees,” and, most pertinently, Bill Clinton’s 1995 invocation of “federal laws that deal with national emergencies caused by foreign aggression,” by which he meant Iran’s support for international terrorism.

Former white house staffer during the Obama administration, Ben Rhodes, blamed President Trump’s policies for the Tuesday attack on the U.S. embassy.

Ben Rhodes

✔@brhodes

Trump sanctions on Iran have done nothing to change Iranian behavior except make it worse. This is what happens when your foreign policy is based on Obama envy, domestic politics, Saudi interests, and magical right wing thinking. https://twitter.com/amichaistein1/status/1211731826890412033 …

Amichai Stein

✔@AmichaiStein1

#BREAKING: US official tells me: New Iran-related sanctions will be announced “In the next 24 hours”

9,411

2:43 PM – Dec 31, 2019

Many have hit back at Rhodes for the accusations, including former CIA ops officer Bryan Dean Wright.

Bryan Dean Wright

✔@BryanDeanWright

As you attack Trump’s foreign policy, Iranian militia members are — at this very moment — attacking American soldiers using the $1.7B cash you and Team Obama sent to Tehran.

What a time to be self righteous. https://twitter.com/brhodes/status/1211991305208905729 …

Ben Rhodes

✔@brhodes

Trump sanctions on Iran have done nothing to change Iranian behavior except make it worse. This is what happens when your foreign policy is based on Obama envy, domestic politics, Saudi interests, and magical right wing thinking. https://twitter.com/amichaistein1/status/1211731826890412033 …

8,549

3:09 PM – Dec 31, 2019

No further information has been given about al-Amiri’s presence at the U.S. embassy raid on Tuesday. Read more about the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad at Breitbart News here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com

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Off Topic: My man of the decade: Donald Trump

January 1, 2020

Source: My man of the decade: Donald Trump – www.israelhayom.com

I have come to the realization that Trump is one of the most important presidents in US history because of his moral clarity, and because he dared to defy political correctness.

by Boaz Bismuth

Published on 12-27-2019 11:49

Last modified: 12-30-2019 15:05

My man of the decade: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump with Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief Boaz Bismuth | Photo: The White House

Over the past decade, the world’s equilibrium has been disrupted. Social media helped advance the democratic debate, but also intensified the shaming of others, no to mention psychological warfare.

And the US, as always, was the leader of the pack. Self-appointed clergy from the Political-Correctness religion have been telling us what we can say and what we cannot. If you tell one bad joke, you are automatically put on trial. The Inquisition is back, but this time in English.

But there is one person who has taken it upon himself to counter this trend, using the very social media networks that have created this problem.

His name is Donald Trump, the same person who has been dismissed all through the primaries and the general election, only to prove his detractors wrong, eventually becoming the 45^thpresident of the United States.

He has already fulfilled his most important pledges, among them the appointment of two Supreme Court justices and 50 federal judges to lower courts.

The US economy is on fire despite the ongoing spats with China. And despite the domestic problems he faces at home, he has managed to successfully amend free-trade agreements, create new alliances and successfully promote US interests in NATO and other international bodies.

He has maintained his policy of maximum pressure on Iran by withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposing sanctions. Even the investigations into the alleged Russian interference in the election went nowhere, and now people are asking questions over law enforcement’s conduct and why Trump’s campaign was subject to wiretapping.

The Israeli public has also understood that the president has lived up to his promises, especially after his decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, as well as his decision to view Israeli settlements as consistent with international law and his executive order punishing campuses for allowing anti-Israel activity.

But the media herd, the intellectuals, and the fundamentalist liberals will just not let go. For them, Trump is like a red rag to a bull. They consider him a thug who has taken over the White House.

I had the opportunity to meet and interview him multiple times on the campaign trail and three times as president. I have come to the realization that Trump is one of the most important presidents in US history.

In a world where boundaries are blurred, where it is unclear who is good and who is bad, it is good to know that that the world’s superpower is led by a person with moral clarity, a president who knows which side creates technology and develops medicine, and which side exports terrorism. He knows that there are some who are for liberty and some who live in darkness.

We live in an era where if you are a conservative, God forbid, you are automatically considered an enemy because you are against political correctness.

Some would say that he is vulgar, but he has forced the liberals to confront the reality they have created with their discourse on the “Deplorables,” as Hillary Clinton called his supporters.

Trump is the man of the decade because he has been the leader of the good guys. Regardless of whether he wins another term, he has redefined the world and challenged the cardinals of the new Inquisition – and by doing that he has changed our discourse and reality.

Boaz Bismuth is the editor-in-chief of Israel Hayom.

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Syria: An irresistible force (Israel) meets an immovable object (Iran)

January 1, 2020

Source: Syria: An irresistible force (Israel) meets an immovable object (Iran) – www.israelhayom.com

There was nothing overtly extraordinary about Sunday night’s missile attack near Damascus, which was attributed to Israel. And yet, it very well could have signaled the start of a new phase in Israel’s campaign to remove Iran from Syria.

Published on 12-24-2019 11:47

Last modified: 12-24-2019 13:34

Syria: An irresistible force (Israel) meets an immovable object (Iran)

An IDF tank on the Golan Heights, near the border with Syria | Photo: JINI/Eyal Margolin

In retrospect, there was nothing extraordinary about the missile attack near Damascus late Sunday night, which was attributed to Israel. Foreign sources are again saying the attack targeted weapons warehouses, that missiles were again fired from the Golan Heights and Lebanese airspace, and that Syrian air defenses again engaged the incoming missiles. It’s really just a matter of routine at this point.

And yet, perhaps the attack was uncommon after all, as it could have signaled the start of a new stage. We can posit cautiously, based on the recent comments by Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, that Israel apparently intends to intensify and expand the scope of its campaign to curb Iran’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria while arming Hezbollah and other Shiite militias.

This is a long-standing policy. It was first unveiled by Benny Gantz as IDF chief of staff, reaching its apex during the tenure of previous IDF chief Gadi Eizenkot. In 2017-2018 alone, Israel carried out more than 1,000 different actions against the Iranians in the northern sector. Some of these actions were military in nature; others were economic, diplomatic, and legal. Others still were meant to influence public opinion. The result was a resounding success in terms of preventing Iranian entrenchment, partial success in terms of preventing the transfer of weapons, and zero success in persuading the Iranians to stop pursuing either endeavor.

In recent months, however, Israel significantly decreased its activities. This stemmed from the tensions in Gaza, which culminated in the assassination of Bahaa Abu Al-Ata in early November, and the disinclination to become ensnared on two fronts simultaneously. It was also rooted in the increased brazenness of the Iranians – who felt confident enough to shoot down an advanced American drone and attack Saudi oil infrastructure – which led to the Israeli assessment that Iran would no longer restrain itself when attacked.

It now appears Israel is returning to action – vigorously. Gaza is calm, and Iran is more determined than ever. Israel’s political and military leaders caution that failing to dislodge Iran from Syria would pose an intolerable threat to Israel. In other words: Whoever wants to prevent the establishment of another Hezbollah in Syria needs to act now, despite the inherent risks.

Assuming that Israel has indeed decided to intensify its activities, it needs to take into account four primary factors:

1. The upcoming general election; and the possibility that attacks in Syria will be perceived as political moves.

2. Tensions with Moscow and the growing unease in Russia over Israeli activity in Syria (to the point that the Russian Defense Ministry has demanded they stop).

3. The internal situation in Iran, a consequence of its economic distress, alongside the possibility of renewing nuclear talks with the United States.

4. The potential for an atypical Iranian response that could lead to an escalation, maybe even war.

All four factors require attention. The first, on the political level, necessitates coordination with the Opposition and other elements. The second and third factors require diplomatic coordination between the Prime Minister’s Office, Defense Ministry, and Foreign Ministry, together with the IDF and the Mossad. And the fourth factor necessitates a broad military deployment for deterrence purposes; and if indeed a conflagration occurs – to provide either a pinpoint or large-scale response if Hezbollah chooses to join the fray.

This means that Israel must continue using its brawn, but also its brains. It cannot be obstinate. It must be able to change and adapt its actions to developments on the ground. Expecting the Iranians to surrender and give up trying to establish a presence in Syria, simply because of Israeli attacks, is unrealistic. This will only happen (if and when) the superpowers come to an agreement, which Israel should certainly strive to facilitate.

The attack on Sunday night, assuming Israel was responsible, still falls within the framework of the so-called “campaign between the wars” – a fundamental condition of which is that it won’t cause the other side to want to go to war. It isn’t certain this condition will hold water much longer. Even now its viability is already debatable. Iran will retaliate sooner or later, and the result could be painful. Israel could find itself in another fight, maybe worse. It would be wise to prepare for this right now, at home and abroad.

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Senior navy officer: Hamas and PIJ know of the opportunities at sea

January 1, 2020

Source: Senior navy officer: Hamas and PIJ know of the opportunities at sea – The Jerusalem Post

Despite talks of a ceasefire arrangement,the Israeli navy remains on high alert

By ANNA AHRONHEIM

DECEMBER 31, 2019 20:32

Israeli Navy boat (photo credit: FLICKR)

Israeli Navy boat

(photo credit: FLICKR)

Despite talk of a ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Navy remains on high alert for any attacks by terrorist groups in the blockaded coastal enclave.

“Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are trying to challenge us and test us all the time,” a senior naval officer told The Jerusalem Post in a recent interview. “The sea, unlike the ground where there are barriers, is wide open and we have to protect our citizens from any possible terror attack.”

Israel is highly dependent on the sea with over 90% of Israel’s imports arriving via shipping lanes and while the country’s navy is relatively small compared to other IDF corps, it has a significant amount of territory to protect since the expansion of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from 40 miles to 150 nautical miles.

Divided into three areas, Haifa in the north and Ashdod and Eilat in the south, the expansion of the EEZ has changed the face of the navy and has posed a significant challenge for the navy, which must use everything at its disposal to gather intelligence and keep the waters safe from any threat, including working closely with the air and ground forces.

“Communication with ground troops and the IAF is critical,” the senior officer said. “We practice daily so that when we have a joint operation we act as an iron barrier.”

The senior officer explained during the May round of fighting between Israel and terrorist groups in the Strip, the power of the IDF was clearly seen in the joint retaliatory operations.

“In May I remember seeing rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel and then the Iron Dome in action all the while hearing the communications of ground troops over the radio and of course my troops from the patrol boats and missile ships,” he recounted. “To see this whole scene of everyone working together gives you the perfect view of the IDF’s power when all its forces work cooperate. It’s a scene that fills you with pride and responsibility.”The navy is also tasked with securing the natural gas drilling rigs that are in Israel’s EEZ, clear targets for enemies on Israel’s borders. The IDF believes that Hezbollah has long-range missiles capable of hitting the rigs, which supply a large amount of the electricity consumed in Israel.

On Tuesday Israel’s Leviathan gas platform off of Haifa’s coast began operations. The offshore platform has been threatened by Hezbollah leader Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.

And while the threat posed by Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border remains the main focus of the Navy and the IDF in general, the threat posed by terrorist groups on Israel’s southern border remains just as real.

In May, during a violent round of fighting that saw Hamas and PIJ launch 690 rockets and mortars into Israel over the span of less than 48 hours, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz ordered the suspension of natural gas supplies from the Tamar field over concerns that it could be targeted.

Israel receives most of its natural gas from Tamar, whose production platform stands just 20 kilometers off the coast of southern Israel – in clear sight of terror groups in the Gaza Strip.

But it’s not only rocket attacks that Israel has to worry about. The naval units of Hamas and PIJ have expanded significantly since the last war five years ago.

During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, five Hamas frogmen (naval commandos) tried to infiltrate Kibbutz Zikim before they were engaged and killed by the IDF. Since the conflict, Hamas has significantly expanded its naval commando unit with a reported 1,500 frogmen.

Last year, the IDF destroyed a naval terrorist tunnel belonging to Hamas which would have enabled terrorists who would enter from a Hamas military post in the northern Gaza Strip to exit into the sea unnoticed, making it possible for them to carry out terrorist acts against the State of Israel from the sea.

The route of the tunnel, which was operational but did not actually extend into Israeli waters, reached a depth of 2-3 meters and was 3 km. from the border with Israel. It was identified by the IDF as part of a campaign against Hamas’s naval force in the past year.

The tunnel was destroyed by an air strike, which was part of the IDF’s retaliation to the barrage of mortars and rockets launched from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Since then a number of other naval assets belonging to both Hamas and the PIJ have been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.

The border with Gaza is Israel’s most explosive, with more than 1,000 rockets fired towards southern Israel over the past year and almost two years of violent protests along the border fence which has seen Palestinians launch numerous incendiary aerial devices and throw explosive devices toward troops.

Thousands of Palestinians have taken part in the protests, which has also seen naval flotillas from Gaza try to cross into Israeli waters.

“We are the maritime power,” the senior officer said, explaining that Squadron 916, which patrols the coast of the Gaza Strip, has played a central role in dealing with the violence stemming from the coastal enclave.

“We are following them. We will stop them before they can carry out an attack,” the senior naval officer said. “You always have to think when an attack can happen, and where, in order to be ready.

“We can’t allow ourselves to fall asleep at the wheel. We have to always think about what’s next,” he warned.

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US sends Marines to Iraq embassy as Trump blames Iran for attack

January 1, 2020

Source: US sends Marines to Iraq embassy as Trump blames Iran for attack – The Jerusalem post

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that a small number of additional Marines were expected to go to the US embassy in Baghdad.

By REUTERS

JANUARY 1, 2020 10:06

Protests at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad (photo credit: REUTERS)

Protests at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

(photo credit: REUTERS)

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump blamed Iran on Tuesday for “orchestrating” an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad and said he would hold Tehran responsible, as officials said more Marines were expected to be sent to the mission.

“Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the US Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified,” Trump said on Twitter.

“To those many millions of people in Iraq who want freedom and who don’t want to be dominated and controlled by Iran, this is your time!,” Trump wrote in another Twitter post.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that a small number of additional Marines were expected to go to the US embassy in Baghdad.

One official said they were expected to number in the dozens and would be there temporarily.

Another official said two Apache helicopters carried out a “show of force” over the embassy.The US State Department and White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the American ambassador and other staff had been evacuated from the embassy compound in the Iraqi capital.

Iraqi officials said the ambassador and other staff were evacuated from the embassy for their safety on Tuesday, as thousands of protesters and militia fighters thronged the gates in fury at US air strikes in Iraq.

On Monday, State Department officials said Washington had exhibited restraint and patience in the face of escalating provocations from Iran or Iranian-backed groups, but that it was time to re-establish deterrence against Iranian aggression.

“We had very much hoped that Iran would not miscalculate and confuse our restraint for weakness. But after so many attacks it was important for the president to direct our armed forces to respond in a way that the Iranian regime will understand,” Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, told reporters.

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Attack on US Embassy in Iraq shows Iran can still strike at American interests

January 1, 2020

Source: Attack on US Embassy in Iraq shows Iran can still strike at American interests | The Times of Israel

Analysts say US airstrike on pro-Iran militias could turn focus of Iraq protests from anger at Tehran’s influence toward call for US troops to leave region

By ROBERT BURNS and ELLEN KNICKMEYERToday, 1:41 am

Protesters burn property in front of the US embassy compound, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. D (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Protesters burn property in front of the US embassy compound, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. D (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The attack on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iran-supported militiamen Tuesday is a stark demonstration that Iran can still strike at American interests despite US President Donald Trump’s economic pressure campaign. Trump said Iran would be held “fully responsible” for the attack, but it was unclear whether that meant military retaliation.

“They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!” Trump tweeted later in the afternoon. He also thanked top Iraqi government leaders for their “rapid response upon request.”

The breach of the compound, which prompted the US to send military reinforcements but caused no known US casualties or evacuations, also revealed growing strains between Washington and Baghdad, raising questions about the future of the US military mission there. The US has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, mainly to train Iraqi forces and help them combat Islamic State extremists.

The breach followed American airstrikes Sunday that killed 25 fighters of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The US said those strikes were in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor and the wounding of American and Iraqi troops in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that the US blamed on the militia. The American strikes angered the Iraqi government, which called them an unjustified violation of its sovereignty.

Trump blamed Iran for the embassy breach and called on Iraq to protect the diplomatic mission even as the US reinforced the compound with Marines from Kuwait.

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

· 10h

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request….

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

….Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!

81.4K

11:19 PM – Dec 31, 2019

“Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many,” he tweeted from his estate in Florida. “We strongly responded, and always will. Now Iran is orchestrating an attack on the US Embassy in Iraq. They will be held fully responsible. In addition, we expect Iraq to use its forces to protect the Embassy, and so notified!”

Even as Trump has argued for removing US troops from Mideast conflicts, he also has singled out Iran as a malign influence in the region. After withdrawing the US in 2018 from an international agreement that exchanged an easing of sanctions for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program, Trump ratcheted up sanctions.

Those economic penalties, including a virtual shut-off of Iranian oil exports, are aimed at forcing Iran to negotiate a broader nuclear deal. But critics say that pressure has pushed Iranian leaders into countering with a variety of military attacks in the Gulf.

Until Sunday’s US airstrikes, Trump had been measured in his response to Iranian provocations. In June, he abruptly called off US military strikes on Iranian targets in retaliation for the downing of an American drone.

Fighters of Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades militia, inspect the destruction at their headquarters in the aftermath of a US airstrike in Qaim, Iraq, Monday, December 30, 2019. (AP Photo)

Robert Ford, a retired US diplomat who served five years in Baghdad and then became ambassador in Syria, said Iran’s allies in the Iraqi parliament may be able to harness any surge in anger among Iraqis toward the United States to force US troops to leave the country. Ford said Trump miscalculated by approving Sunday’s airstrikes on Kataeb Hezbollah positions in Iraq and Syria — strikes that drew a public rebuke from the Iraqi government and seem to have triggered Tuesday’s embassy attack.

“The Americans fell into the Iranian trap,” Ford said, with airstrikes that turned some Iraqi anger toward the US and away from Iran and the increasingly unpopular Iranian-backed Shiite militias.

The tense situation in Baghdad appeared to upset Trump’s vacation routine in Florida, where he is spending the holidays.

Trump spent just under an hour at his private golf club in West Palm Beach before returning to his Mar-a-Lago resort in nearby Palm Beach. He had spent nearly six hours at his golf club on each of the previous two days. Trump spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and emphasized the need for Iraq to protect Americans and their facilities in the country, said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley.

Trump is under pressure from some in Congress to take a hard-line approach to Iranian aggression, which the United States says included an unprecedented drone and missile attack on the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in September. More recently, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have conducted numerous rocket attacks on bases hosting US forces.

Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and supporter of Trump’s Iran policy, called the embassy breach “yet another reckless escalation” by Iran.

Tuesday’s attack was carried out by members of the Iran-supported Kataeb Hezbollah militia. Dozens of militiamen and their supporters smashed a main door to the compound and set fire to a reception area, but they did not enter the main buildings.

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, blamed Iran for the episode and faulted Trump for his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

“The results so far have been more threats against international commerce, emboldened and more violent proxy attacks across the Middle East, and now, the death of an American citizen in Iraq,” Menendez said, referring to the rocket attack last week.

By early evening Tuesday, the mob had retreated from the compound but set up several tents outside for an intended sit-in. Dozens of yellow flags belonging to Iran-backed Shiite militias fluttered atop the reception area and were plastered along the embassy’s concrete wall along with anti-US graffiti. American Apache helicopters flew overhead and dropped flares over the area in what the U.S. military called a “show of force.”

Smoke billows from the entrance of the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on December 31, 2019, after supporters and members of the Hashed al-Shaabi military network tried to break into the building, during a rally to vent anger over weekend air strikes that killed pro-Iran fighters in western Iraq. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

The US also was sending 100 or more additional Marines to the embassy compound to support its defenses.

The embassy breach was seen by some analysts as affirming their view that it is folly for the US to keep forces in Iraq after having eliminated the Islamic State group’s territorial hold in the country.

A US withdrawal from Iraq is also a long-term hope of Iran, noted Paul Salem, president of the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

And it’s always possible Trump would “wake up one morning and make that decision” to pull US forces out of Iraq, as he announced earlier with the US military presence in neighboring Syria, Salem said. Trump’s Syria decision triggered the resignation of his first defense secretary, retired Gen. Jim Mattis, but the president later amended his decision and about 1,200 US troops remain in Syria.

Trump’s best weapon with Iran is the one he’s already using — the sanctions, said Salem. He and Ford said Trump would do best to keep resisting Iran’s attempt to turn the Iran-US conflict into a full-blown military one. The administration should also make a point of working with the Iraqi government to deal with the militias, Ford said.

For the president, Iran’s attacks — directly and now through proxies in Iraq — have “been working that nerve,” Salem said. “Now they really have Trump’s attention.”

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Trump warns Iran of ‘BIG PRICE’ for attacks, sends 750 more troops to Mideast

January 1, 2020

Source: Trump warns Iran of ‘BIG PRICE’ for attacks, sends 750 more troops to Mideast | The Times of Israel

US president says Tehran directly responsible for protesters storming US Embassy compound in Iraq and says they will be held accountable

By AHMAD AL-RUBAYE and PAUL HANDLEYToday, 2:32 am

In this photo provided by US Department of Defense, US Marines assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) 19.2, prepare to deploy from Kuwait in support of a crisis response mission, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. (US Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Robert G. Gavaldon via AP)

BAGHDAD — The US flew a rapid response team of Marines into Baghdad to reinforce its embassy on Tuesday after a mob of pro-Iranian demonstrators stormed the compound, setting fires and chanting “Death to America!”

Angered by US air strikes that killed two dozen fighters, hundreds of protesters spilled through checkpoints in the high-security Green Zone, demanding the ouster of US troops from Iraq and voicing loyalty to a powerful Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

US President Donald Trump blamed Tehran and warned that it would face punishment if Americans are killed.

“Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities,” Trump said on Twitter late Tuesday.

“They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat,” wrote Trump, adding “Happy New Year!”

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

· 10h

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request….

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

….Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!

81.3K

11:19 PM – Dec 31, 2019

Hours later American officials said the US has deployed hundreds of troops to Kuwait and they they would likely be sent to neighboring Iraq.

“At least 500 members of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have left Fort Bragg in the US, and up to 4,000 may ultimately be deployed,” the official told AFP.

Surprise, fury

The message came at the end of a day in which Washington officials appeared surprised and furious over the ease at which the protesters entered the Green Zone, reaching the US embassy compound for the first time in years.

They carried flags of the hardline Kataeb Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), a component of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary network.

An Iraqi supporter of the Hashed al-Shaabi military network lifts a picture of Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during a rally in front of the US embassy in the capital Baghdad, on December 31, 2019, to vent anger over weekend air strikes that killed pro-Iran fighters in western Iraq. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

As live broadcasts showed the protesters battering down the high-security doors of the embassy reception building, smashing windows and burning a sentry box, the State Department and Pentagon demanded Iraq’s leaders provide security to the compound — which was already heavily fortified.

In phone calls with both Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Saleh, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “made clear the United States will protect and defend its people, who are there to support a sovereign and independent Iraq,” the State Department said.

Hours later a contingent of US Marines flew in from Kuwait, by which time some of the demonstrators had receded and others settled in for a sustained protest, preparing food for the evening.

In this photo provided by U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Marines assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) 19.2, prepare to deploy from Kuwait in support of a crisis response mission, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Robert G. Gavaldon via AP)

Trump directly blamed Iran for “orchestrating an attack on the US Embassy in Iraq.”

“They will be held fully responsible,” he said.

Tehran countered that the United States is itself to blame for air strikes that killed about two dozen Kataeb Hezbollah fighters on Sunday.

“The surprising audacity of American officials is so much that after killing at least 25… and violating the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, that now… they attribute the Iraqi people’s protest against their cruel acts to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.

A commander of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi Jawad al-Talaibawi (C) takes a selfie at a gate of the US embassy in the capital Baghdad on December 31, 2019, after supporters and members of the military network breached the outer wall of the compound during a rally to vent anger over weekend air strikes that killed pro-Iran fighters in western Iraq. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Strategic patience

The mob attack put a focus on the strains in the US-Iraqi relationship. Allies of Iran, which enjoys significant support in parts of the Iraqi government, increasingly challenge Washington’s influence in the country.

US jet fighters on Sunday struck five Kateab Hezbollah outposts in Iraq and Syria after a series of rocket attacks on US-occupied facilities in Iraq over the past two months that are blamed on the group and its alleged Iranian sponsors.

One of those attacks, in Kirkuk on Friday, left an American civilian contractor dead and exhausted what US officials called Trump’s “strategic patience” with Tehran.

“The president has shown a lot of restraint,” Brian Hook, the State Department’s Special Representative for Iran, told reporters Monday.

“We very much hoped that Iran would not miscalculate and confuse our restraint for weakness. But after so many attacks, it was important for the president to direct our armed forces to respond in a way that the Iranian regime will understand.”

Fighters from the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades militia, inspect the destruction of their headquarters in the aftermath of a US airstrike in Qaim, Iraq, December 30, 2019. (AP Photo

First lesson’ to US

But it added to the growing calls by some political factions in Iraq to push US troops out of the country nearly 17 years after they entered and overthrew Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Dozens of Iraqi lawmakers have called for a review of the agreement allowing about 5,200 US troops in Iraq, saying the airstrikes over the weekend violated the country’s sovereignty.

An Iraqi government statement said the attacks “force Iraq to review its relations and its security, political and legal framework to protect its sovereignty”.

The protesters who besieged the US embassy on Tuesday carried posters reading: “Parliament should oust US troops, or else we will!”

Late Tuesday Kataeb Hezbollah hailed the protest outside as a “first lesson” to Washington, “so that Trump knows he did something extremely stupid”.

“This may well be the low point of US policy in Iraq,” said Iraq expert Fanar Haddad of Singapore University’s Middle East Institute.

No evacuation plans

But US officials said there were no plans to evacuate the mission, and no US personnel were reported injured. Ambassador Matthew Tueller, who had been on holiday leave, was on his way back to the embassy.

During the day Trump also called Abdel Madi to emphasise the need to protect US personnel and facilities in Iraq, the White House said.

He later tweeted his thanks to Abdel Mahdi and Saleh for “their rapid response upon request” to the embassy attack.

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Surge of Shiite militia attacks in store for US forces in Iraq, possibly Israel too – DEBKAfile

January 1, 2020

Source: Surge of Shiite militia attacks in store for US forces in Iraq, possibly Israel too – DEBKAfile

Dec 31, 2019 @ 22:22 Donald Trump, Iran, Iraqi Shiite militias, US embassy stormed

Iran’s leaders are not likely to be deterred by US President Donald Trump’s warning on Dec. 31 that Tehran would be held responsible for attacks on US forces in Iraq and the storming of the US embassy in Baghdad.

The mob of thousands of Kataib Hezballah supporters who broke into the embassy on Tuesday heralded the reverse scenario. Iran believes that ramping up the pressure on US forces in Iraq will serve its interests in Iraq as well as in Syria.

DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources note three motivations for Tehran’s anti-US belligerent stance at this time:

1. By fighting the “American threat to Baghdad,” Iran hopes to find a unifying slogan for recovering the allegiance of the Shiite masses who are protesting across southern Iraq and Baghdad against excessive Iranian influence in Baghdad.

2. The Kata’ib Hezballah militia’s multiple rocket attack on the US K-1 base near KIrkuk on Saturday, Dec. 28, in which a US civilian contractor was killed and at least four American soldiers injured, was not intended as a one-off. It was the signal for this Shiite militia to move from sporadic, single rocket attacks on US military sites to heavy bombardments on a scale that recalls the assaults staged against US forces by pro-Iranian organizations 14 years ago.

Hezballah is not the only aggressive militia at the disposal of Al Qods chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani for this strategy. He can call on at least another half a dozen Shiite paramilitary groups capable and willing to fight the “American Satan.”

3. The US takeover of the gas fields of eastern Syria and its deepening military presence along the Syrian-Iraq border are a major impediment to Tehran’s aspirations for a direct land route via Iraq to Syria and Lebanon.

Tehran sees that the entire logistic and military framework it painstakingly set up on both sides of Syrian-Iraqi border have been under constant US and Israeli air assault since early November.
For all these reasons, Tehran believes it has plenty to gain by battling the US presence in Iraq and Syria and may be expected at some point to settle its score with Israel as well.

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