BREAKING: IRANIAN MISSILE ATTACK ON 2 BASES IN SUNNI IRAQ AND KURDISTAN REGION

An Iranian missile impact at the al-Assad Iraqi base in Anbar Province, Iraq on January 8, 2020 (via @BaxtiyarGoran on Twitter)

The Pentagon has confirmed that at least 2 Iraqi bases housing US troops were struck by ballistic missiles launched from inside Iran. The al-Assad airbase in Anbar Province, in the Sunni Arab heartland, and a base near Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, were both struck by 15 missiles. Sunni and Kurdish MP’s boycotted the vote in the Iraqi parliament on Sunday to mandate the expulsion of US forces from Iraq, indicating the the regime in Tehran was not only sending a message to the United States with this attack, but to Sunnis and Kurds as well.

The Pentagon has reported no casualties among American service members, although casualties have been reported among Iraqi troops, including possibly the chief of Iraqi operations in Anbar province.

US President Trump is reportedly meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Esper at the White House to assess the outcome in the attacks. President Trump has already threatened the Iranian regime on Twitter regarding retaliatory attacks on Iraqi bases for the death of Qassam Soleimani, promising a “disproportionate” response.

This story is developing and will be updated with new/revised information as available. We encourage our global prayer partners to join us in prayer for the safety of both military personnel, civilians and ministry teams on the ground throughout the region in the coming days, and for divine wisdom to be granted to President Trump and other world leaders in their response to the aggression of the Iranian regime.

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1214702567944572930

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1214704110064287745

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1214697866389786630

https://twitter.com/ReporterIraqi/status/1214704904301875202

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1214711426968948738

https://twitter.com/RanjAlaaldin/status/1214693342967214080

https://twitter.com/BarzanSadiq/status/1214665028126879744

https://twitter.com/AnneClaireCNN/status/1214710773282484224

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/07/794388410/military-base-housing-u-s-troops-in-iraq-has-been-attacked

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jan/07/trump-news-today-live-impeachment-articles-iran-latest-updates-democrats

IRAN, IRAQ, UNITED STATESJANUARY 8, 2020

US STRIKES ON IRGC CONTINUE, ISRAEL PREPARES FOR BLOWBACK

Fighters from the Iraqi Imam Ali Brigade take part in a military parade on August 8, 2015 in the mostly Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf. (Credit: Haidar Hamdani, AFP, Getty Images).

The United States continued its offensive footing in Iraq Friday, with reports of an airstrike targeting an Iranian-linked militia commander in Iraq. The Pentagon reported a “high probability” that Shubul al-Zaidi, commander of the Imam Ali Brigades, a PMF militia in Iraq closely affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, was killed in an airstrike in Baghdad yesterday. Imam Ali Brigades has denied the death of their leader on social media.

Meanwhile, another 3,500 US soldiers from the 82nd Airborne 1st Combat Brigade were ordered to Kuwait today, in preparation for what many officials and analysts consider to be the inevitable retaliation by Iran against American targets in the region for the drone-strike death of IRGC commander Qassam Soleimani on Friday morning. Solemani’s successor, Esmail Ghanni, has already vowed revenge, addressing the Iranian public today to “be patient, and you will see the bodies of Americans all over the Middle East.” The US State Department and Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have strongly advised their citizens to leave Iraq immediately, and US diplomatic installations are on high alert throughout the Middle East in the wake of the attacks.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu praised US President Trump on Friday for ordering the strike on Soleimani, stating that “Trump is worthy of full appreciation for acting with determination, strongly and swiftly.” The Israeli premier cut short a diplomatic trip to Greece on Friday in order to return home to coordinate a defensive posture on the home front. Observers have reported a sharp uptick in IAF overflights in Lebanon and the Golan, and Iron Dome batteries have been redeployed to northern coastal areas around Tel Aviv and Haifa, in anticipation of retaliation by Lebanese Hezbollah and other Iranian-sponsored militias in Syria. The deployment of Iranian-linked militias in Syria towards the Israeli Golan frontier has already been observed, and Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who considered Soleimani to be a mentor, gave an address on Friday in which he stated that like-minded jihadists would “raise a flag in all battlefields,” a veiled threat against Israel.

We would ask our global partners to join us in prayer for a divine hedge of protection around US forces, the State of Israel, and the citizens of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria who are burdened under the yoke of Iranian oppression. IAI and our parent FAI are actively ministering in both the Israeli Golan and Iraqi Kurdistan, which are quickly becoming the front lines in the looming conflict between Iran, the US and Israel. We would invite you to partner with us in bringing good news of hope and peace to the people of the region:

https://www.faimission.org/donate

Sources:

https://www.newsweek.com/six-iraqi-militia-members-killed-second-drone-strike-ordered-president-trump-baghdad-1480365

https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-s-military-kills-more-top-iranian-backed-terrorist-leaders-in-airstrikes-report-says/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/u-s-sending-thousands-more-troops-mideast-after-baghdad-attack-n1110081

https://www.timesofisrael.com/soleimani-successor-promises-bodies-of-americans-across-the-middle-east/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-lauds-trump-for-killing-of-irans-soleimani-says-israel-stands-by-us/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-mourns-soleimani-cites-major-role-in-supporting-palestinian-resistance/

https://twitter.com/leventkemaI/status/1213180336009613313

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1213265515046674439

https://twitter.com/AlMayadeenLive/status/1213243306982940672

https://twitter.com/evacool_/status/1213252552818597894

https://twitter.com/YerevanSaeed/status/1213264957971795970

https://twitter.com/IsraelBreaking/status/1213182633246674944

https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1213206693234061317

HEZBOLLAH, IDF, IRAN, IRAQ, ISRAEL, UNITED STATESJANUARY 4, 2020

BREAKING: US AIRSTRIKE KILLS HEAD OF IRANIAN "QUDS FORCE" AND SENIOR IRAQI HEZBOLLAH LEADER AT BAGHDAD AIRPORT

Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both killed in an airstrike Friday morning at Baghdad Airport. (Credit: Fars News Agency via Wikimedia Commons)

US officials have confirmed that an airstrike on a vehicle convoy inside Baghdad airport early Friday morning killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard "Quds Force" commander Qassem Solemani. The commander of the "Kataib Hezbollah" militia in Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was also killed in the same strike. Kataib Hezbollah is sponsored and directed by the IRGC, and al-Muhandis was also second-in-command over all Iraqi militias in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Several other Iraqi militia figures were also killed in the strike.

The Pentagon released a statement confirming that US President Trump had authorized the strike that killed Solemaini, reporting that he was planning additional attacks on US forces in the Middle East. The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organization by the US Government.

Iranian state TV confirmed the "martyrdom" of Solemani, who was the architect of the Iranian “Quds Forces” strategic programs outside of Iran, including its relationship with terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shi’a militias in Iraq and Syria, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This story is still developing and will be updated as new details emerge.

Photo: Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both killed in an airstrike Friday morning at Baghdad Airport. (Credit: Fars News Agency via Wikimedia Commons)

Sources:

https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/01/02/infamous-top-iranian-revolutionary-guard-commander-qassem-soleimani-killed-in-air-strike-in-baghdad/

https://twitter.com/AlArabiya_Eng/status/1212908302201475072

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1212895016496050176

https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1212931521604177921

US AIRSTRIKES ON IRANIAN-LINKED MILITIA BASES KILL AT LEAST 25, INCLUDING SENIOR COMMANDER

An F-15 Strike Eagle, similar to the one shown here, was used by the US military to strike Kataib Hezbollah positions in Iraq and Syria (via nationalinterest.org).

US warplanes struck 5 bases belonging to the Iranian-sponsored militia Kataib Hezbollah in both Iraq and Syria this evening, killing at least 25, including a senior commander, and wounding dozens more. US Undersecretary of Defense Jonathan Hoffman released a statement confirming US responsibility, calling them “precision defensive strikes” intended to “degrade KH’s (Kataib Hezbollah’s) ability to conduct future attacks against OIR coalition forces.” All non-essential personnel have been evacuated from the US embassy and the Iraqi Prime Minister has called an emergency session of his security cabinet.

The strikes come less than 48 hours after a barrage of Katyusha rockets were fired into an Iraqi base housing US troops in Kirkuk on Friday. That attack killed a US civilian contractor and wounded four troops. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has previously warned Iran that any attacks on US forces in the region resulting in casualties would be met with a military response. A dozen attacks on US bases have been linked to Iranian proxies in the last three months. Unused Katyusha rockets were found near the scene of the latest attack which indicate that they were imported from Iran.

The US now joins Israel and possibly Saudi Arabia in the group of nations confronting Iran militarily in Syria and Iraq. Street demonstrations against Iranian hegemony have embroiled Iraq in political chaos over the last three months, during which Iran has taken a much more direct role in Iraqi politics and security.

Sources: https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-US-forces-launch-attack-on-Kataib-Hezbollah-base-in-Iraq-612478

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-strikes-iranian-backed-militia-in-iraq-12-reported-killed/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2047960/statement-from-assistant-to-the-secretary-of-defense-jonathan-hoffman/

https://twitter.com/LucasFoxNews/status/1211335993208557568

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1211340329099628546

https://twitter.com/AJABreaking/status/1211366132063621123

https://twitter.com/BaxtiyarGoran/status/1211371251878510598

CASUALTIES IN ROCKET ATTACK ON US BASE IN IRAQ AFTER IDF CHIEF WARNS THAT CONFRONTATION WITH IRAN IS COMING

A vehicle-mounted Katyusha rocket battery, similar to the one which was likely used to attack the US base in Kirkuk, Iraq on Dec 27, 2019. (via DefenseTalk.com)

As many as 36 Katyusha rockets struck a base in Kirkuk, Iraq which houses American troops yesterday, causing the death of an American defense contractor and wounding several US soldiers. An announcement of responsibility is pending investigation, as both the remnants of ISIS and Iran-linked Shi'a militias are active in the area. However, ISIS has not had the capacity to conduct such a strike for a year, and the attack is just the latest in a string of 12 over the last three months which have been traced to the conglomerate of Iraqi militias known as Popular Mobilization Units, or PMU’s.

The PMU's are integrated into Iraqi security forces, but many of their brigades ultimately take orders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iranian military leaders have repeatedly threatened US bases in the region with Iranian rockets. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran just two weeks ago that any attacks on American troops resulting in American casualties will trigger a US military response.

The deadly attack comes at a precipitous time, after IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned that a limited but "intense" confrontation with Iran is coming, reiterating Israel's commitment to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Iraq and Syria. There have been hundreds of mostly unclaimed airstrikes against Iranian or Iranian-allied targets in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq over the past six years, and recent intelligence suggests that Iran is using the IRGC and it's PMU proxies to transport and store Iranian missiles in Iraq.

Sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/rocket-attack-in-iraq-kills-u-s-contractor-wounds-four-u-s-troops-11577492632

https://www.debka.com/an-american-killed-4-injured-in-heavy-iraqi-shiite-rocket-strike-on-us-k-1-base-near-kirkuk/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-iraq-missiles-exclusive/exclusive-iran-moves-missiles-to-iraq-in-warning-to-enemies-idUSKCN1LG0WB

https://www.jpost.com/American-Politics/Trump-in-a-corner-after-rockets-kill-US-contractor-wound-forces-612346?fbclid=IwAR1u8NiJ51Ut_p_4TR__WjQbG82FmTqfcypjyXasXFdlpYQTbVrSDJHS_og

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-israel-alone-in-the-fight-against-iran-in-syria-iraq/

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/1577266477-israel-s-army-chief-concerned-over-iranian-activity-in-protest-ridden-iraq

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pompeo-warns-iran-about-trigger-for-us-military-action-as-some-in-administration-question-aggressive-policy/2019/06/18/48bd3be0-9116-11e9-b570-6416efdc0803_story.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pompeo-warns-iran-over-rocket-attacks-at-iraqi-bases-11576277357

IRANIAN BACKED MILITIA IN SYRIA THREATENS ISRAELI GOLAN HEIGHTS

A screenshot of the Liwa Fatemiyoun video showing their view of the Israeli Golan Heights from inside Syria (via: @Jtruzmah. Twitter)

Liwa Fatemiyoun, an Afghani Shi’a milita fighting in Syria and sponsored by Iran, published a video on Twitter yesterday which shows the group positioned just a few kilometers from the Israeli Golan Border inside southwest Syria. The video, as translated by reporter Joe Truzman on Twitter, boasts that the group’s combat experience in the Syrian Civil War was just “preparations for confronting Zionism” and that the Israeli Golan Heights are the groups “Final Target.”

Liwa Fatemiyoun’s threats echo those of their benefactor, Iran, whose military and religious leadership have repeatedly threatened to destroy the Jewish State. The head of Iran’s army even claimed that Tehran has a strategy to cause the collapse of Israel within the next quarter-century.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1209378917041049600

https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Irans-Afghan-mercenaries-threaten-Israel-from-Golan-611967?fbclid=IwAR19jSPJk-bbIhk4YTIzDI-Ah2QNHNLnoqapcXUoMy3Xy4iNxEBQbJSqhtY

https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-iranian-general-threatens-to-destroy-israel-us/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-iran-threatens-to-annihilate-israel-hezbollah-boast-of-reach-of-rockets/