US officials travel to discuss strikes with Trump
Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, travelled Sunday to Mar-a-Lago to discuss the strikes with Trump. US officials said the five targets included three Kataib Hezbollah locations in Iraq and two in Syria. Those locations included weapon storage facilities and command and control locations that the group uses "to plan and execute attacks on OIR (Operation Inherent Resolve) coalition forces," according to the Pentagon. The strikes all came from the air using F-15 Strike Eagle fighter planes, the US official familiar with the strikes said. Secondary explosions were observed after some of the strikes, indicating the sights may have housed ammunition. While there were multiple strikes, the sites being hit were relatively small, the official told CNN. Whether the US decides to strike further will depend on the activities of the militia, they said, and whether it conducts additional attacks against US interests. American officials have blamed the group for attacks like one on Friday on a base near Kirkuk, Iraq, that killed a US civilian contractor and injured four other US service members. Hoffman asserted again in his statement that the group has links to Iranian forces. "KH has a strong linkage with Iran's Quds Force and has repeatedly received lethal aid and other support from Iran that it has used to attack OIR coalition forces," he said. The White House had no additional comment when reached by CNN on Sunday. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said the Baghdad government rejects "unilateral action" by coalition forces inside his country, according to a statement carried on Iraqi state TV Al Iraqiya. "We have already confirmed our rejection of any unilateral action by coalition forces or any other forces inside Iraq. We consider it a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and a dangerous escalation that threatens the security of Iraq and the region," the Iraqi prime minister said.Escalating tensions between the US and Iran
The US had been pushed to the brink of retaliation against Iran or its proxies before Sunday's strikes, specifically after attacks this summer on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Iran's downing of a US drone in June. US officials, including Pompeo, repeatedly stressed that any threat to the freedom of navigation in the Gulf and the oil trade would be considered unacceptable, but the Trump administration took no action. Over the past two months, however, US officials have grown increasingly concerned as the threat to US and coalition forces became more immediate. In the last several weeks, a series of rocket attacks have targeted military installations in Iraq where US and coalition personnel are stationed. US officials linked them to Kataib Hezbollah, citing similarities in the attacks. And behind the militant group, US officials pointed to Iran. Tensions between the US and Iran have increased over 2019 as Washington tightened the economic squeeze on Tehran through its "maximum pressure" campaign and Iran responded with what it calls for "maximum resistance." Tehran's resistance has taken the form of gradually reduced compliance to the international nuclear deal that the US left in May 2018 and a campaign of regional provocation that began escalating in May. That month, four oil tankers in the Persian Gulf were damaged by mines, drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen hit two segments along a major Saudi east-west oil pipeline and a rocket landed near the US embassy in Iraq. On the last day of May, a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, wounded four US servicemen. While the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, Washington blamed Iran.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
DR Congo legal warning to Apple is ‘first move’ – lawyer
2 mins -
Question Time: Did policing minister confuse Rwanda and Congo?
6 mins -
We need better sets for theatre productions – Omar Sherrif Captan
12 mins -
KPMG report on SML must be published and laid in Parliament – Isaac Adongo to Akufo-Addo
15 mins -
Rainstorm causes havoc in Anloga District
17 mins -
Akufo-Addo nominates new MCE for Krachi East Municipal Assembly
18 mins -
Sunyani Technical University refutes sex-for-grades claim, describes allegation as baseless
28 mins -
I’ll win TGMA Artiste of the Year at the right time – Kofi Kinaata
54 mins -
Meet Fred Amugi’s 100-year-old mother
1 hour -
Brazil great Marta to retire from international duty
2 hours -
Otto Addo was forced to accept Black Stars coaching job – Mohammed Polo
2 hours -
Karim Zito qualified to be Black Stars head coach – Mohammed Polo
2 hours -
Platinum Cup makes return on April 27
2 hours -
MoE is not changing uniforms or re-painting all public schools – Kwasi Kwarteng clarifies
3 hours -
16th Africa Aquatics Swimming Championships: Nubia and Harry to represent Ghana in Angola
3 hours