Published: 2024-01-16
Update 2024-01-17: An analysis of an ABC News article on the Iranian responses to previous attacks, mentioned at the end of this article’s “argument” section, has been added under the heading ‘Update’. Also, added a Richard Medhurst video reference. Great show.
Introduction and Conclusion
In "Alastair Crooke:Does the West Believe it is Morally Superior?" the former UK diplomat and specialist in international relations and negotiations in the Middle East warned that a "Mexican" stand-off was in place in the Middle East over Israel's continued genocidal slaughter in Gaza. Against this inhuman provocation various regional groups possessing both a political and armed wing, such as the nations of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Lebanese government party Hezbollah, have displayed laudable restraint.
Crooke was not alone in warning that a wider conflagration awaited should anyone be so stupid as to pour gasoline on the fire and let loose the dogs of war.
Saudi Arabia, long a US ally, had publicly warned the US to not do exactly what it did. The Editor-in-Chief of The Cradle, a publication on International Affairs with a Middle East focus, Sharmine Narwani, had publicly twitted a more detailed warning. This was amplified by very knowledgeable former Indian diplomat, M. K. Bhadrakumar.
There can be no doubt whatsoever that when the US repeated its illegal attack on Yemen that it did so with full knowledge that this was very likely to escalate the regional tensions, created by Israel's genocide in Gaza, into a full regional war.
The US has knowingly taken an horrific conflict, a genocide in Israel/Palestine and started a Middle Eastern War.
An Argument and Some Counter Ones, In Case Needed
Lets get the some counter arguments out of the way first.
Israel is Defending Itself
Go listen to the presentations to the ICJ. If you still repeat that line, people prepared to use this type of language, will label you a Zionist shill. You are either willfully ignorant or immoral or both. Stop 'whatabouting' and get with the world who want something as simple as a ceasefire.
The Houti Were Attacking International Commercial Shipping
Anṣār Allāh clearly stated from the outset that they were attacking ships which were going to dock at Israeli ports or were Israeli owned as a direct response to the genocide. You can read more about this narrative crap which was pre-issued by the Council on Foreign Relations.
But, they attacked other ships too!
That is an assertion. Please provide evidence, rather than citing either party in this now escalated conflict. John Helmer, a veteran journalist, examined some of the targets in detail and concluded that ones which may appear on the surface as non-Israeli owned, via various means of concealment actually were.
Just Read Reliable News
To support the core argument, all that needs be done is cite the headlines and sub-headlines from Antiwar from the last week, as displayed in the article graphic. They are repeated below for clarity. Dates below are for the publications of the articles rather than those of the actions described.
On January 11th in response to Anṣār Allāh's attacks on Israeli shipping, which may well be justified under the Genocide Convention, instead of seeking a ceasefire to reduce both the level of killing and regional tensions the US broke international law and attacked Yemen, naming the Houti.
On January 12th we learn that thousands of Yemeni's protest in the capital San'aa against the illegal US and UK belligerence and in support of Anṣār Allāh. Anṣār Allāh are in no way cowed by the attacks which from their perspective are merely the latest in an 8+ year long conflict which previously used Saudi Arabia as a proxy force.
Saudi Arabia begs the US to not escalate.
US ignores all informed warnings and attacks Yemen and Anṣār Allāh again.
So disgusted by the US' handling of the situation in Gaza are members of its own administration that they declare that they are going to walk out.
Israel's prime minister Netanyahu publicly informs us all that their genocidal response, to the armed response by Gaza's elected leadership to the 15 year long abuse inflicted on the entrapped population, is that this is also the US' war.
Entirely in keeping with previous statements made by local and international experts the US' attacks on Yemen and Anṣār Allāh's capabilities are completely ineffective. [Narmine + Bernard]
Anṣār Allāh in response to the continued and now totally obvious declaration of war by the US and UK against them attacked a US commercial ship as opposed to their previous attacks against US Naval vessels and Israeli commercial ships.
The US state New Jersey must have got a message and begins prepare to have US citizens killed in the conflict.
US regime stooge Biden issues a statement 100 days after the genocide in Gaza had begun and fails to mention any of the 27 000 deaths inflicted upon the Palestinians by Israel.
Some Detail on the Iranian Response/Attacks
Iran chooses the moment to respond to two recent attacks by Israel and ISIS, an extremist group which has been funded and armed by the US and Israel.
ISIS had claimed responsibility for the dual bombings which mass murdered 94 civilians during the religious commemoration on the 4th anniversary of the US assassination of IRGC General Soleimani in Kerman. Iran described the Syrian site of their response attack as an ISIS headquarters.
Iran described the Iraqi site of their attack as an Israeli military intelligence (Mossad) headquarters. This was in response to Israel's assassination of Seyyed Razi Mousavi, an IRGC commander who was in Syria assisting their mutual defense treaty partner with ongoing provocations even after overt funding of the Syria dirty war has largely been abandoned. Antiwar informed its readership of this event the day after Christmas, 2023.
Update [2024-01-17]
[Just a wee edit on the target article’s title.]
A staff writer at ABC news has worked with "Wires" (meaning some of AP, Reuters and/or AFP) to inform their readership of the response attacks by Iran mentioned just above.
A first note is that the word "Yemen" does not appear in this ABC News article anywhere. The events described are floating free of their context. The author, "Wires/ABC", failed to ask why now? Before we get too critical of Wires/ABC, lets see what can be gleanted from the article based on our existing understanding of the background.
We learn that the target Iran selected, a Mossad HQ, was near the US embassy in an 'upscale' area of Erbil, the regional northern Iraqi capital which is home of the Kurdish separatists. The Kurds wish for their own nation and have been causing no end of trouble for Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran all of whom possess land which the Kurds would like. The US and Israel have been collaborating with the Kurds for their own purposes for decades. The US diplomatic presence (embassy) spells CIA and nearby is what Iran claims is a Mossad HQ. All sounds very plausible to me, and thus I am rather inclined to believe the IRGC which stated that they "had hit a headquarters of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in the Kurdish region of Iraq".
Further down the article we get a quote from an Iraqi PMU official. Okay, I know that, the article just says "An official with an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia". But, the quote is useful because it is long and specific. The specificity allows the source "Wires" article to be identified (see sources) and within the quote is the political reason, as expressed by the PMU representative, for Iran's attack. It was "In response to the recent atrocities of the Zionist regime, causing the killing of commanders of the Guards and the Axis of Resistance".
So, with a bit of background knowledge, useful information can be derived.
In the bottom half of the introduction, the top third of the article, we get [with this author’s comments]:
The strikes come at a time of heightened tensions in the region and fears of a wider spillover of the ongoing war in Gaza.
[Okay, and those were escalated yesterday and the days previously by the USA, but continue Wires/ABC.]
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have launched near-daily drone attacks on bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria, which the groups have said was in retaliation for Washington's support of Israel, and in an attempt to force US troops to leave the region.
[Yeps. This is exactly what is happening. What you could do is acknowledge that these 'militias' are an official part of Iraq's national military, i.e its "Defence Department". You could also mention that Iraq's parliament has legislated that all foreign military should leave its territory which the US has not only refused to do but also recently stated that it "has no plans" to this effect.]
The United States strongly condemns "Iran's reckless missile strikes" in Erbil, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
He said the attacks "undermine Iraq's stability".
[That's rich.]
While recalling its envoy from Tehran, Iraq summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Baghdad to protest against the strikes, the foreign ministry said.
[So, Iraq doesn't have diplomats, it has 'envoys', and similarly Iran has "charge d'affaires".]
The Iraqi government said it would take all legal measures against these actions that are considered a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and the security of its people, including filing a complaint at the United Nations Security Council.
[Cool. It will be interesting to see which which nation(s) receive those complaints.]
We then move on to something a bit more fun under the sub-heading "Iran vowed revenge for killing of three Guards":
An anonymous US defence official said the US had tracked the missiles, which hit in northern Iraq and northern Syria, and no US facilities were struck or damaged in the attacks.
The official said initial indications were that the strikes were "reckless and imprecise."
So, the Mossad HQ was near that US embassy in Erbil and the US has confirmed that 'no US facilities were struck' and they also said the strikes were "imprecise". Really? Above, the PMU official also said that the Mossad HQ "was destroyed with ballistic missiles". Looks pretty precise to me, "anonymous US defence official"!
Further down the article in the bit that nobody (well, except some of us ;) reads, the motivation for the retaliation receives further coverage. In that section, the Wires/ABC article links to the ABC News article from the day on which Soleimani was assassinated. So, hats off there, ABC News journalist!!
The article then talks about some rich, Kurdish, real estate developer who was one of the victims of the attack in Erbil.
And lastly, and rather interestingly, right at the end is:
Additionally, one rocket had fallen on the house of a senior Kurdish intelligence official and another on a Kurdish intelligence centre ...
So, the 'imprecise' strike which reportedly involved 10 Iranian ballistic missiles struck and destroyed a Mossad HQ, and also two rockets "fell" [I mean, you gotta love that choice of verb] on a Kurdish intelligence official and centre.]
So, Iran targeted the Israeli and Kurdish intelligence HQs and missed the CIA's.
I agree, the attacks were "imprecise". 🤩
Afterward
It is a privilege to be able to comment on these affairs using Antiwar as a primary reference. Dave DeCamp is, in my humble opinion, one of the English language’s greatest current news editors. Long may he be rewarded for his excellent work.
or you can support this work via Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon.
Sources
Striking Yemen From Afar Will Not Achieve Anything, b., Moon Of Alabama, 2024-01-13
India gets a rude awakening in West Asia, M. K. Bhadrakumar, Indian Punchlines, 2024-01-12
Alastair Crooke: Does the West Believe it is Morally Superior?, Napolitano interviews Crooke, Judging Freedom, 2024-01-09
Iran Launches Ballistic Missile Strikes on Iraq and Syria, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-15
RUSSIAN IDENTIFICATION OF HOUTHI TANKER TARGET IN INDIAN OCEAN – HOW THE WESTERN MEDIA ARE PROTECTING THE ISRAELIS, John Helmer, Dances with Wolves, 2023-12-24
RUNNING THE RED GAUNTLET — RUSSIA IS NEGOTIATING WITH THE HOUTHIS FOR RED SEA PASSAGE OF OIL CARGOES DEFYING US, EU SANCTIONS, John Helmer, Dances with Wolves, 2023-12-20
New Jersey National Guard Prepares to Deploy to Iraq and Syria Amid Attacks, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-15
Biden Ignores Palestinian Deaths in Statement on 100 Days of Gaza War, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-15
Houthi Missile Hits US-Owned Cargo Ship in the Red Sea, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-15
Houthis' Offensive Capabilities Not Significantly Damaged by US Airstrikes, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-14
Netanyahu Tells Blinken: 'This Is Also Your War', Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-14
Federal Employees to Stage Walk Out Over Biden's Support for Gaza Slaughter, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-14
Tanker Companies Halt Red Sea Shipping After the US Bombs Yemen, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2024-01-14
Provocations to Disappear a Genocide, YesXorNo, 2024-01-04
Week in Review: 2024, week 02, YesXorNo, 2024-01-15
Israeli Airstrike in Syria Kills Senior Iranian IRGC Commander, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-12-26
To pre-read the types of justification which the US will issue for their idiotic, senseless belligerence, one could read the Council on Foreign Relations who more than any other body in the US guide its foreign policy:
How Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea Threaten Global Shipping, Noah Berman, Council of Foreign Relations, 2024-01-12
Update Sources
Iran strikes targets in northern Iraq and Syria as regional tensions escalate, Wires/ABC, ABC News, 2024-01-17
Iran says Revolutionary Guards attack Israel's 'spy HQ' in Iraq, vow more revenge, Parisa Hafezi and Timour Azhari, Reuters, 2024-01-16 21:05 GMT+11
Who was Qassem Soleimani and why is his death in a Trump-ordered missile attack a watershed moment in the Middle East conflict?, Matt Brown, ABC News, 2020-01-03
Videos
US-UK Illegally Bomb Yemen So Israel Continues Its Gaza Holocaust, Richard Medhurst, Rumble (Video duration 00:01:16:40), 2024-01-14
Culture
Scarlet Pleasure - Deja Vu, Scarlet Pleasure, uploaded 2017-04-05
Copyleft: CC0