US officials told NBC News that the US is planning to launch a weeks-long bombing campaign in the Middle East in retaliation for the drone attack in northeast Jordan that killed three American soldiers.
The officials said that the targets are expected to include Iranian targets outside of Iran, and the campaign will involve strikes and cyber operations. Other reports have said the US is considering targeting Iranians in Iraq and Syria or the Iranian navy.
While the potential targets are not inside Iran, direct attacks on the Iranian military could provoke a full-blown war between the US and Iran. The US is considering taking this course of action even though the Pentagon admitted it has no evidence Iran was directly involved in the drone attack in Jordan.
The Pentagon has said the Jordan attack had the “footprints” of Kataib Hezbollah, one of the main Shia militias in Iraq. The US says that Iran is responsible only because it arms Kataib Hezbollah and other Shia militias. US officials told The New York Times that while Iran arms and funds the Shia militias, there’s no evidence Tehran is “calling the shots.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that US intelligence suggests the drone attack was carried out by the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a shadowy umbrella group of Iraqi Shia militias.
The Islamic Resistance has taken credit for many of the 160 attacks that have been launched against US forces in Iraq and Syria since mid-October. The attacks started in response to US support for the Israeli slaughter in Gaza.
Kirby also hinted at the possibility of a drawn-out bombing campaign. “The first thing you see won’t be the last thing,” he said, adding that it won’t be a “one-off.”
Iran has vowed to respond to any US attacks on Iranians in the region. “The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts,” said Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN.
Long? These blustering braggarts will see what “long” is if they go too far against Iran. Once Iran feels forced to fight back, the whole region will go up.
We will see yet again that wars are easy to start but hard to end, and they spread like wildfires through dry land.
The one bright spot is that Israel as we know it is unlikely to survive the conflagration.
This would finally end the core middle east problem, but in exactly the way our neocons do not want to see it ended. Rather like the Ukraine War will end with the elimination of Ukraine. Those ends will be Biden’s foreign policy legacy.
2021:
Biden Says He’s Ended The ‘Forever Wars’
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/03/1034137444/biden-says-hes-ended-the-forever-wars-but-some-say-theyve-just-shrunk
Just like Bush’s “mission accomplished”.
LOL I remember that article, and I remember thinking at the time that the only people who would believe that BS were NPR listeners.
I hope that the U.S. military is drawing up plans to go into Israel and secure it’s nuclear arsenal in case Bibi or some other genocidal maniac gets itchy trigger fingers. We have plans to do this in Pakistan.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/us-prepared-to-secure-pakistani-nukes/
Keep hoping-I have some bridges for you to buy.
So you think the USA should allow Israel to use a nuclear device in the Middle East?
Good question.Keep them coming.
Israel will only use a nuke if its survival is questionable. And these terrorists are not capable of taking down Israel.
The best way for the USA to prevent Israel from using a nuke is to make sure Israel has sufficient firepower to defend itself. Of course, the Anti-Israel group get upset with arming Israel.
Hezbollah is not the paper tiger that the Israeli military is. It has a sizeable arsenal of missiles and a good amount of combat experience in Syria. Israel is delusional if they think they can take on Hezbollah and win. The IDF are a bunch of glorified concentration camp guards and last time they tried any serious military operation in 2006 Hezbollah handed them their asses and they had to retreat.
Hezbollah suffered significant loses in 2006 war. Israel losses in both equipment and men where much smaller than Hezbollah. Israel ended the war for political reasons, not military.
If a new war occurs the losses on Lebanese side of Hezbollah and others will be great and a new round of chanting “genocide” will start.
And if Israel kills civilians with impunity like they are in Gaza, chanting genocide will be appropriate and accurate.
If Hezbollah use civilians as human shields they will get killed. It is called war for a reason. And of course as usual, the enemies of Israel are allowed to killed civilians and randomly fire rockets at cities. Some on this website even encourage such actions. But when Israel fires back into Palestinians held cities, it genocide.
Well, Lebanon isn’t nearly as densely populated as Gaza, but I would imagine Israel will have the same disregard for human life there as they do in Gaza. And if the roles were reversed and Israel was being flattened with a genocidal attack with the weaponry provided by the superpower on the other side of the world, I would be bitching about that just as I am about Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza. It’s genocide no matter who is doing it.
Hey Tim, time to go home, AIPAC is calling you.
Here are the reasons it’s called genocide.
https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/South-Africa-v-Israel.pdf
Citation needed.
And of course, the pro-Israel group will continue to call anybody perceived as Israel’s enemies as terrorists.
Nope. When Israel fought the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria, they were not called terrorists. Now suicide bombers, plane hi-jackers, Olympic athlete killers, etc., are terrorists.
And now? I haven’t seen those tactics being used in this situation. In fact, the definition of terrorism fits Israel more so than either Hezbollah, Hamas or the Houthis.
ter·ror·ism
[ˈterəˌrizəm]
NOUN
the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.
2000 lb “dumb” bombs being used in residential areas. Purposely limiting the amount of aid getting in which is causing widespread famine. Bombing Hospitals/Ambulances. Bombing refugee camps. Shooting unarmed people carrying white flags. Those terrorists’ groups you speak of can only aspire to reach the levels of terrorism that Israel is presently unleashing on the people of Gaza.
I consider Israel killing women and children,blowing up hospitals as well as causing starvation and diseases in a country that they occupy s means of terrorism
Hell yes. Genocide jake has even advocated for such.
Edit:
jake: “Practically-90+ nukes with some very fast Jerichos are a great survival mechanisms.”
And I hadn’t even read down far enough to read that .
That is not going to happen. The US is not going to attack Israel.
I hope not, but we should be prepared for all contingencies. Given the unstable nature off the current genocidal regime in Israel I don’t think we should take anything off the table.
Israel government is stable. And it is not hell bent on genocide like you claim. If it was there would be more zeros behind the current civilians losses in Gaza.
“Israel government is stable.”
Several ministers within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government were among thousands of people who flocked to a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday night calling for Israelis’ “resettlement” of Gaza, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivering keynote speeches.
A local Israeli council head suggested in a radio interview that Gaza should be “flattened completely, just like Auschwitz today,” the latest Israeli official to publicly call for the annihilation of the besieged Palestinian enclave. David Azoulai, a political leader for the northern Israeli town of Metula, made the remark Sunday in an interview with Tel Aviv’s Radio 103FM.
It took me about two minutes to find a couple of examples of their stable government. Need more?
And it is not hell bent on genocide like you claim. If it was there would be more zeros behind the current civilians losses in Gaza.
Even Israel couldn’t sell 260,000 dead, 600,000 wounded and 4,000,000 in famine as “self defense”. And that’s only one more zero. But in your mind, until the genocide is complete, it just can’t be a genocide.
Says you. The ICJ ruling tells a different story.
Morally, Israel should survive.Practically-90+ nukes with some very fast Jerichos are a great survival mechanisms. Not a happy survival-but -NEVER AGAIAN.
Always again.
What do you mean? Explain please
ask your Always again corporrations .
You’re even dumber than I thought
that might work If that makes you hide your head in your ass
A barrel of oil goes to $1,000 per. Inflation everywhere skyrockets. Mass layoffs in the U.S. Mass unemployment. Best place to be to get a guaranteed paycheck would be the military, if you don’t get killed first. General clusterf*ck by orders of magnitude. Once set in motion the election would not make any difference, or perhaps we do not have one.
Why would oil go $1000 a barrel?
Due to our unfortunate arrogance and exceptionalism, there is NO other way for the US to leave the Middle East. The US battle ships will be destroyed first along with many of our sailors. All our bases will be destroyed. But that’s a price Biden is willing to pay. Biden is a warmongering pig. We need to see the truth, but probably won’t. The US and Israel will use nuclear bombs in response always “to save lives.” We know what will follow. Nice knowing you guys!
“The one bright spot is that Israel as we know it is unlikely to survive the conflagration” That will make the Anti-Israel group happy. But this will not happen.
He did say, “as we know it“. Everyone should hope for that. Even you.
Didn’t I utilize Peace???
Aholes are gonna’ do what Aholes always do.
FJB
All peace lovers and war haters fears are coming to pass before our powerless eyes, bodies and minds.Nothing can seem to change the destructive path these fascist inclined idiots are on.I truly feel our survival is up in the air.
This news couldn’t be better for the share-holders at War Inc..
Didn’t I utilize Peace??? I thought I did?…..
It’s not your fault if they don’t listen to you, Donna.
I am feeling fully responsible, you know? I am suppose to be the woman who does it?
I am the woman who actually utilizes the peace, what happened?… Maybe I have more time to do it? Utilize Peace, please!
Zionist manifest destiny is all war & no peace… (To) “Kick the wogs off our land” …. But I’m a peace guy & with you Donna Volatileu.
Don’t you know that all land and water is to be owned or controlled by the US because of our moral superiority and our Manifest Destiny whether other peoples like it or not?
But the US is controlled by the Israel Lobby thus not so superior, morally or otherwise.
Israel does not control the US.They just do the US bidding.If it gets out of control and the US is threatened Israels chain will be pulled,I hope.
Israel is the state, the Israel Lobby is a collective of Pro-Israel individuals and organizations that, through various means, influence the shaping of US policy to advance the special interests of the Israeli state. The chain pulling you reference is backwards, substantiated by the fact this particular US policy is making it complicit in genocide, an outcome neither in the best interests of US national security or the American people.
However, given the direction of the past 30 years, I suppose one should be open to the possibility the goal is not to further US interests but to destroy it.
If your response is X times greater than the original offense
and X is much >1.
It is escalation.
Is 2 + 2 no longer = 5?
More like 50.
Math is right. But how do you come up with a number? Is one US solider worth one terrorist or 10?.
Netanyahu’s dreams cum true…..!!!!!! OH NO– HERE WE GO & WHERE & WHEN IT STOPS NO ONE CAN KNOW..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
US can start a direct war with Iran, but Iran will finish it for them…!
Every article you read contains the fact that there is no evidence to show Iran was directly involved or that Tehran was calling the shots and yet Kirby almost sounds like he has a chubbie when he said, “The first thing you see won’t be the last”. Hopefully the world will form a coalition and put us out of our misery.
We have become rather tedious, haven’t we. This president, like his predecessors, has soiled what remains of the tattered reputation of the country I was born and raised in, to the extent that my only reaction to Joe Biden’s ongoing lust after some kind of perverted legacy is disgust and shame.
I wish he and his gang of global rapists were gone.
If Iran is responsible for what Hezbollah does with Iranian weapons then the US is just as responsible for what Israel does with our weapons.
Oh, my bad. I just remembered we are the exceptional nation and are not limited by the rules that we place on everyone else, especially our enemies.
And that’s just a start. Ukraine comes to mind.
Turkey nor Arab states will allow use of their bases or even airspace to attack Iran. That leaves just the US Navy and the airbase at Diego Garcia. Maybe our puppet in Jordan will.
How do you know that? Money talks.
The seat of the Yankee Empire is $34 trillion in debt. Just financing the interest payments on that debt is threatening to swamp everything else in the federal budget.
The notion that money talks indefinitely is delusional.
The carriers are huge targets and sitting ducks.Goodby air power.
Why don’t we stop arming the aggressor, Israel? Why are we squatting in countries, who do not want us? How many failed wars are we going to start, only to kill the defenseless, enrich the Tyrants and change NOTHING? We are being cowards, if Iran is the problem, go to war with them, instead of bombing over and over again, the people who have been suffering for decades. Israel is the root of the cancer in the ME and the USA feeds that cancer, when they should be exterminating it.
Good comment but unlikely to happen.
This is nuts. If the US is planning a strike why in the H gives away details in advance? Just stupid.
This is meant to reassure the Iranian leadership that America won’t attack Iranian territory. They’re scared of Iran launching a panicked retaliation.
” panicked retaliation” ? What is that?
“overreaction” or “war” – more accurately the combination of the two. The US/NATO is playing “I dare you” with crossed fingers. They know the probability of their losing a war with Iran is high.
Being more interested in the human side of war than the art of it I half-listened recently to a deeply experienced expert in the latter opine the factors unique to Iran summing to it’s advantage in any conflagration brought to it. Alas, I remember “geography,” the word not the detail, with nothing beyond to substantiate my declarative. Nothing beyond the fact the US/NATO have been playing I dare you and losing since the end of the cold war 🙂
Like when they shot down that civilian plane after America assassinated Kasim Suleimani
Arrogance and hubris cause it.
2006: Former UN weapons inspector turned author Scott Ritter said in his book Target Iran: “Let there be no doubt: If there is an American war with Iran, it is a war that was made in Israel nowhere else.” (The Israel Lobby, P-302, #102)
Well that is his opinion.
Pretty professional and knowledgeable opinion.
His opinions aro well thought out and researched.Yours come out of your ass and totally stink of shit.
Of courses any attack will be for the imagined benefit of Israel. But an emboldened Israelis not especially good thing for Israel. We see how an enboldened Ukraine is doing against Russia and it looks like their luck has run out on any big infusion of cash, now that this new $142 million swindler has reared its head openly in Congress & main stream media!!! Bye, bye, Volodomir…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More likely true. The Israeli controlled government with self described ZIONIST president Genocide Joe, even getting on board their genocide train… Toot, Toot. Here we come….!!!!!!!!!!!
Russia is Iran’s largest foreign investor. It has given Iran access to the continental belt and road system and the Don River canal to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
The US engineered a totally unprovoked attack on Russia using Ukrainian draftees and lost. It’s engineering a genocide against Palestine using Israeli draftees and already losing western Asia.
Now is the time to plant victory gardens and become independent of the mad hatters running the US. Pay down credit cards. Cut back on unnecessary purchases. Organize cooperative gardens on public transportation routes, Use that organizing to devise a new government that puts people first.
This is not likely to be any different from the long string of bombing strikes against Yemen. All show. A bloody show, but just political theater.
Of course, killing real people for such reasons and in such ways is simple murder, not “war”.
Yeah..like that always works. What gormless nihilistic willy waving. Go home yank.
American can’t win in the Middle East or Ukraine so what is the point. FJB
Always gotta use jingoism like “The first strike won’t be the last.”
Death by a thousand cuts.
That’s what Biden could be facing if he isn’t careful. But, I think he knows it.
He has been indirectly chastised by the International Court of Justice and most of the world’s governments. There is a chance that Palestine could be accepted as a sovereign nation by the UN. How much more will it take for him to decide that policing the Middle East is not in America’s best interest?