U.S. strike in Baghdad raises specter of wider regional war
A U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on Thursday killed an Iran-linked militia commander and risked accelerating the regional fallout from Washington’s support for Israel’s military operation in Gaza, even as the Biden administration scrambles to contain the bloodshed.
Explosions occurred in the central part of the city, rattling windows and prompting Iraqi authorities to close off streets nearby. Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a militia that has claimed several attacks on U.S. forces, said its deputy commander of operations in the Baghdad region, Mushtaq Jawad Al-Saidi, known as Abu Taqwa, was killed at a logistical support headquarters on Palestine Street.
While the U.S. has targeted militia-linked locations in Iraq and Syria several times in recent months, an American operation in such a central location of Iraq’s capital is exceedingly rare. The Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba group falls under the command of the Iraqi army, which responded swiftly, and in anger, saying agreements between Baghdad and Washington had been violated.
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US draws up plan to attack mainland Yemen as Middle East spirals into war
Jan 4, 2024
The US military has “prepared options” for attacking Yemen, the Wall Street Journal reported, amid a major escalation of war throughout the Middle East.
The Journal reported that “potential targets could include launchers for antiship missiles and drones, targeting infrastructure such as coastal radar installations, and storage facilities for munitions.”
In a threat to Yemen, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday the US will not “shrink from the task of defending ourselves, our interests, our partners, and the free flow of international commerce.”
He added, “To accomplish these goals we have established and will continue to maintain a significant force presence in the Middle East. This includes an aircraft carrier strike group centered around the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, with its embarked air wing of some 80 aircraft, as well as an amphibious ready group with its embarked 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit.”
Continue reading at www.wsws.org
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