Connect with us

International

US Airstrikes on Iraq and Syria: How Retaliatory Airstrikes Are Impacting the Network of Iran-backed Militias

Published

on

Who was the goal of US retaliatory attacks?

The US response went beyond targeting al-Muqawam al-Islamiyah and al-Iraq or Islamic resistance movement in Iraqunit demanding accountability for the January 28 drone attack.

This term, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, doesn’t confer with a single group as such. Rather, it involves an umbrella organization that has brought together various Iran-backed militias in the region since around 2020.

Advertisement

Iran officially denied any involvement in the January 28 drone attack. However, it is understood that the Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq belongs to a network of militias that Tehran supports with money, weapons and training through Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.

In recent months, some of this network of Iran-backed militias have done just that admitted responsibility for over 150 attacks on bases housing US forces in Syria and Iraq.

As such, USA retaliatory strikes targeted greater than 85 sites in Iraq and Syria, all linked to Iran-backed groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Advertisement

The declared goal of the US operation is to discourage further aggression supported by Iran. In Syria specifically, the United States conducted several airstrikes that reportedly resulted in the death of no less than one person 18 members of the militia group and destruction of dozens of locations in Al-Mayadeen and Deir el-Zoura key stronghold of Iran-backed forces.

In Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state security apparatus made up of Iran-backed groups, reported that US strikes had killed 16 of its membersincluding each warriors and medics.

The U.S. response was particularly forceful than other recent actions against such groups, reflecting an escalation in efforts to counter threats posed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliates.

What can we find out about the network targeted by the strike?

Initially, the Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq emerged as a response to foreign military presence and political interventions, especially later 2003 US-led invasion Iraq. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq was a collective term for pro-Heran Iraqi militias, allowing them to perform attacks under one banner. Over time, it evolved right into a front for Iran-backed militias operating outside Iraq, including in Syria and Lebanon.

Advertisement

Currently, the Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq operates as a cohesive force relatively than a single entity. This implies that the network’s goals often overlap with Iran’s goal of maintaining influence in the region, but at the national level – in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon – the groups have their very own separate agendas.

Operating under the single banner of Islamic Resistance, these militias effectively hide the identity of the actual perpetrators of their operations. This was visible in deadly January 28, 2024, attack on Tower 22, an American military base in Jordan. While it is obvious that an Iran-backed militia orchestrated the drone strike, pinpointing a particular faction inside this broad coalition is difficult.

This deliberate strategy of concealing the specific source of attacks makes it difficult to directly attribute attacks and creates challenges for countries attempting to discover specific perpetrators and retaliate.

What effects do strikes have?

US Central Command he said on February 2 that the purpose of the operation is to significantly weaken the operational capabilities, weapons and supply networks of the IRGC and its Iran-backed proxies.

Advertisement

The attacks targeted key assets similar to command and control centers, intelligence facilities, missile storage sites, missiles, drones, and logistics and ammunition facilities. The goal is just not only to degrade their current operational infrastructure, but in addition to discourage future attacks.

The motion got here after the discovery Iranian-made drone utilized in the attack on Jordan.

As part of a broader technique to counter these groups, the United States has also done so introduced recent sanctions against IRGC officers and officials, revealed criminal charges against people involved in selling oil to Hamas and Hezbollah, and conducted computer attacks against Iran.

How will this affect Iran’s strategy in the region?

Before the US response on February 2, Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-linked group, announced bus stop in attacks on American targets – a move seen as recognition of the serious consequences of the drone incident in Jordan.

Advertisement

It is feasible that the cessation was the result of pressure from Tehran, even though it was was met with skepticism in Washington.

Nevertheless, the developments show the mutual influence and autonomy between the so-called Axis of Resistance groups, which oppose the US presence in the Middle East and are supported to various degrees by Iran.

American air raids – combined with sanctions and prosecutions – function a multi-faceted technique to deter further aggression by Iran and its proxies. By targeting critical infrastructure similar to command and control centers, intelligence operations, and weapons caches, this approach goals to undermine Iran’s ability to project power in Syria and Iraq.

The comprehensive and broad nature The U.S. response signals a firm stance against threats to regional stability and U.S. interests.

Advertisement

The goal is to isolate Iran diplomatically and economically while squeezing its support for regional proxies. This underscores the United States’ commitment to countering Iranian influence that would potentially undermine Tehran’s regional engagement strategies, its negotiating stance, and its ability to form alliances.

However, the effectiveness of airstrikes and sanctions in deterring Iran-backed aggression stays uncertain. Historical trends suggest that similar U.S. actions since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and as early as 2017 haven’t completely stopped attacks by Iran-backed groups.

The Biden administration’s approach seeks to navigate this landscape without escalation of the conflictfocusing on steering financial mechanisms supporting Iranian proxies. However, the impact and consequences of such sanctions on Iran and broader regional dynamics are complex.

In the short term, any direct U.S. retaliation against Iran’s interests could exacerbate regional tensions and exacerbate the cycle of tit-for-tat attacks between the U.S. and Iran-backed forces, increasing the risk of broader regional conflict. And on condition that the pretext for the attack is the war between Israel and Hamas, any U.S. response could not directly influence the course of that conflict, influencing future diplomatic efforts and the regional balance of power.

Advertisement

“Iran”forward defense strategy – focusing on countering external threats before they turn into threats inside its borders – would suggest that Iran will proceed to support proxy forces through weapons, financing and tactical knowledge limiting the influence and legitimacy of the United States and its allies in the region.

This underscores the delicate balance required in responding to Iran-backed aggression – geared toward protecting U.S. interests while stopping escalation right into a broader regional confrontation.

Advertisement
This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

International

The fall of Assad in Syria will additionally weaken Hezbollah and limit the “iranization” of the Tehran region

Published

on

By

The fall of President Bashar Assad will not only affect 24 million Syrians who lived – and suffered a big extent – under his brutal rule. An influence can be felt above the border in Lebanon.

The fall of Assad’s government is one other blow to his Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, who was already Encouraging with Israel’s conflict, which weakened its capabilities and decimated his leadership. But many others in Lebanon will be rejoicingespecially 1.5 million Refugees who escaped from Syria Escar Assad and a 13-year civil war.

As Expert in the field of Library history and cultureI believe that waves from Syria needs to be expected. Contemporary stories of each countries are related, and by a 54-year rule, the Assad family has repeatedly intervened in Lebanon-mainly to the detriment of their people, economy and stability.

Advertisement

Hezbollah and assad: mutual relationship

Since its inception in the early Eighties, Hezbollah benefited from the strong support of the Syrian regime. There They were tension moments Certainly between them – especially in the middle of the civil war in Lebanon. But in general, Hezbollah was in a position to depend on Syria for a weaponTraining and easy land Access to Iran.

And this agreement was mutual. When Assad’s rule was questioned in 2011 and the country went to the civil war, Hezbollah fighters He moved to Syria strengthen government troops.

But by becoming the strongest paramilitary being in Lebanon, Hezbollah saw his fortune suffered. The last war with Israel seriously weakened the group and forced her to Acceptance of a weapon suspension agreement This covers the path towards disarmament.

In addition, Lebanese support for Hezbollah modified dramatically, with the group’s open calls to stop her paramilitary activity. The war of the group with Israel cost life 3,700 people in Lebanonand around 1.2 million Lebanese -around one fifth population-internally displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, economic loss Lebanon is estimated in billions of dollars.

Advertisement

Iran, Assad and Hezbollah triangle

It isn’t any accident that the recent progress of the rebels led to the refutation of Assad On the same day, the suspension of Israel-Hezbollah weapons was signed. Hesbollah forces were exhausted, and many of their warriors withdrew from Syria strengthen the southern border of Lebanon.

Syrian rebels selected this moment to hit, knowing that Iran was also too thin with the war of Israel-Hezbollahu to return to help help.

The domino effect caused Iran to unravel “Iran”Resistance axis. “Certainly Tehran lost hard over Syria and Lebanon.

Advertisement

The proven fact that the fall of Assad coincides with the potential end of the Syria civil war and the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance; It is the starting of the Art Nouveau war that helped anchor this three -sided relationship.

In 2011 Arabian spring -Seria pro-democracy and protests of human rights that began in Tunisia-she made to Syria. Anti -ssad protests broke out in Daraa and soon spread to the foremost cities, reminiscent of Homs, Hama and The Capital, Damascus.

Syrian government He answered with brutalityordering soldiers to shoot protesters, while stopping and torturing hundreds of men and boys.

International Outrage appeared. But the Syrian government remained in power with the support of Iran and Hezbollah. In fact, in addition to Hezbollah fighters, the Corps of the Revolutionary Guard Iran also advised Assad and fought alongside his army against the Syrian nation.

Advertisement

For Tehran and his proxy, Hezbollah, this helped in the further “andranization” of the region – that’s, the spread of the ideology of the Iranian revolution and Conversion of Syria and Lebanon to the Shiite states.

Syria is principally a Sunni Muslim. Under the family of Assad ruled it Alawite minority – A gaggle that practices a branch of Shiite Islam. Hezbollah, as a Shiite terrorist group, swore loyalty to the highest leader of Iran in his own 1985 manifesto.

The Palestinian cause was one other uniting factor between these three. The revolutionary Iran Credo after 1979 “Death for Israel” is a sentiment shared by the Assad regime and Hezbollah fighters. However, Assad might have been less loud about this – especially since he tried to barter with Israel over the occupied Golan Heights.

Syria, Iran and Hezbollah Assad weren’t only united by radicalism and their desire to control the region. They also divided economic interests and benefited from trade in illegal drugs, In particular, CaptagonAmphetamine stimulant, which is mass -produced in Syria under the patronage of Assad and Iran. The drug is another and significant source of income at a time when international sanctions were bitten.

Advertisement

With the help of Hezbollah and his control over the airport and Lebanon’s seaport, the drug has turn into widely available in the Persian Gulf. Its highly addictive nature is an actual threat in the Arab world, and Assad used it to exert pressure on Saudi Arabia Restoration of membership in Syria in the Arab League In 2023, in return, the Syrian regime agreed to redirect drug trafficking elsewhere.

Assad’s heritage

Along with the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the fall of the Syrian regime, the region’s “ianization” is no less than detained.

Nevertheless, 54 years of family rule of Assad in Syria left a protracted trace of destruction in neighboring Lebanon.

IN June 1976 Syria sent over 25,000 soldiers Above the border to place an end to the Lebanese civil war. His presence was to be temporary, but was prolonged to over 4 many years.

Advertisement

Before the Lebanese civil war ended in 1991, Syria took complete control over Lebanon territory, in addition to national and international matters. Serious violations of human rights, including disappearance, illegal detention, torture and torture, have been reported Murder of political characters and journalists.

In February 2005, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafot Hariri – which publicly opposed the Syrian hegemony in Lebanon – he was murdered in an attack in which Assad and Senior Syrian officers They were strongly involved.

Hundreds of hundreds of Lebanese people prove to mourn the murder of Hariri Rafi.
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad/Getty Images

The murder caused Cedar revolutionWhen tons of of hundreds of Lebanese inhabitants got here out into the streets, demanding the immediate departure of Syrian forces.

Although Syrian forces left Lebanon, the Syrian regime continued to interfere in the country’s policy through Hezbollah, which transformed right into a political and military organization and entered the government in 2008.

Advertisement

From that moment, Hezbollah would block every decision that didn’t serve the interests of Syria and Iran. For example, Hezbollah and his allies vetoed every presidential candidate who didn’t support the Syrian regime – a politician who fell into Lebanon in the prolonged Presidential vacuum.

Uncertain future

While Hezbollah can proceed to operate in Lebanon and under the umbrella of Iran, the fall of Assad signifies that it’s devoid of deliveries.

Without Syria, Hezbollah doesn’t have quick access to Iranian fighters and weapons – and the newly signed suspension of weapons between Lebanon and Israel confirms the commitment of Lebanon in A UN resolution Calling for disarming Hezbollah.

And even though it isn’t clear what New Syria will appear to be, no less than at the moment the populations of Lebanon and Syria – they each suffered under brutal rule and abuse of Hezbollah – they can enjoy after the departure of a person answerable for so many pain.

Advertisement

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
Continue Reading

International

Local government democratic north-eastern Syria will be attacked in a actual country

Published

on

By

After greater than a decade of the brutal Civil War of Islamist fighters, it took only 11 days to survive Syria and overthrow the Bashar Al-Assad regime. The offensive, which was conducted by the Turkish Syrian (SNA) and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) National Army, forced many residents of Western Syria to flee from homes in search of security.

Meanwhile, others have a good time the tip of the five -year rule of the Assad family. There They are long queues People and cars on the Library border border, when displaced people return to Syria, and on the border with Turkey there are also significant grubs.

According to Ali Yerlikay, the Minister of the Interior of Turkey, the monthly average of Syrians crossing the border he almost doubled In sooner or later after overthrowing Assad.

Advertisement

While these events were developing, the situation of a de facto self-governing region in the northeastern a part of the country called the autonomous administration of northeastern Syria (also generally known as Rojava) didn’t pay much attention to international media. The SNA rebel offensive is successful in the region.

The region management body has called the autumn Assada a significant moment and expressed hopes for a latest chapter in Syria. And the powerful armed groups of Rojaavy, the units of the People’s Protection (YPG) and the democratic forces supported by the USA (SDF), even have each Expressed optimism About the autumn of the Assad regime.

These statements reflect a common sense of hope and commitment to constructive dialogue and cooperation in shaping the longer term of Syria. But Rojava, which was a lighthouse Kurdish complacency And democratic management from the start of 2010, when several districts have announced autonomy, is threatened with each internal and external forces.

There are tensions between the SDF and Arabic tribes over the political influence and abundant natural resources of Rojava. In Manbija, a city west of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, there was Heavy clashes Between SDF and Sna from the start of the rebel offensive. SDF successfully informed rejecting many attacks, but eventually withdrew from the town.

Advertisement

Apparently also offensive Began in Kobanewhich is perceived because the birthplace of the Rojav Revolution and a symbol of Kurdish resistance. The city is the place of the important thing battlefield, where Kurdish fighters defeated the Islamic State (IS) in 2014.

In other cities in the region, corresponding to Raqqa, Tabqa and the important thing desert city of Deir Ez-Zor, Arabs are demographically more quite a few than the Kurds. The way forward for cooperation between two groups in these areas dominated by Arabs stays uncertain.

Over the past week, SDF fighters captured Deir Ez-Zor and took control of the primary border crossing of Syria with Iraq. Recently, nevertheless, there There were reports suggesting that HTS warriors gain control over the town.

Externally, Turkish military operations geared toward weakening the region’s Kurdish control are a constant threat to Rojava. Türkiye perceives SDF and YPG as an extension of the forbidden party of Kurdistan staff and motion to stop the Kurdish autonomous region along its border to acquire political status that Türkiye perceives as a direct threat to its national security.

Advertisement

So in cooperation with the Allied groups of jihadists, Türkiye has conducted several operations in northern Syria in recent years to ascertain “Safe Zone” push the Kurdish forces. Turkish forces He took control earlier Afrin cities in the northwestern a part of Syria in 2018, which was then under Rojava’s control.

These activities drew international criticism accusations violations of human rights and war crimes. Sweden with several other European countries, He stopped weapon trade with Turkey in 2019. However, Sweden later He raised the restrictions During the technique of submitting an application for attachment to NATO.

Türkiye plays a key role of an ally for the movements of the Syrian opposition, especially Sna. Served as a very important support system for rebel forces throughout the last offensive, like this He did it consistently in the past.

Rojaava’s future is predicated on his ability to maneuver in complex dynamics. Maintaining US support is crucial since the American military presence is deterrent to Turkish aggression. However, the region must also cope with internal divisions and work on greater Arab-Rurdic reconciliation to make sure long-term stability.

Advertisement

Path forward

Opposition groups in Syria are very fragmented and we don’t yet understand how power struggles arise amongst them. We know that HTS and its leader Abu Muhammad Al-Jolani have historical connections with Al-Qaeda and IS. The group is now presented in a more moderate light, but there may be a lot of uncertainty.

On the opposite hand, Rojava fought against IS, Jazides were protected during a genocidal campaign against them and established humanitarian corridors to evacuate them and strives to implement a multi -ethnic society based on direct democracy, ecology and sex equality.

Rojava social contract card He protects these principles and provides the representation and rights of Kurds, Arabs, Jazydów, Syriaj-Casyrians, Turkmens, Armenians and others.

The Kurds in Brussels, Belgium protest against the Military Action of Turkey in north -eastern Syria in 2019.
Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock

It is troublesome that despite the apparent “confidence” in Jolani – a character who He was once marked “The most sought after terrorist in the world” – as a moderate revolutionary leader, since its establishment has not been recognized by the democratic Ryjaava model.

Advertisement

Instead of receiving the merit of support, Rojava is concentrated on questions on the priorities of the international community and the prospect of sustainable peace in the region. The Syrian nation, in all its diversity and voices, must determine the ways of constructing a really integration and democratic Syria, in which all people can coexist in the room.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
Advertisement
Continue Reading

International

The role of the USA in Syria is unclear after the fall of Assad from power

Published

on

By

A broken portrait of the former President of Syria Bashar Al-Assad in the government constructing on December 7, 2024 in Hama, Syria.
Omar Haj Kadour/AFP by Getty Images

What is the most significant thing to grasp US involvement in Syria?

US involvement in Syria reaches at the very least 2011 when this Arabian springProtest movement in the Middle East in the Middle East, broke out and spread to Syria.

Advertisement

This caused the brutal repression of the Syrian government, led by the Syrian leader Al-Assad. Some protesters then became part of the rebel groups in Syria and fought with the Assad government, resulting from this In the civil war. The United States immediately imposed Heavy financial sanctions About the Syria government.

In 2013 The US began to supply weapons to some groups of rebels that were based on the Assad government. This 12 months, the Syrian army also exceeded “Red line“This was established by the then President Barack Obama with Chemical weapon against civilians. Despite the pressure on implement the red lineObama decided to not intervene when Assad agreed to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons – the commitment that Assad didn’t fully live to.

In 2014, a gaggle of Islamic State, often generally known as ISIS or is, He took over the parts of Syria. The United States has deployed forces directly The fight is in 2015. Until 2019, the US has seriously weakened, and the US reduced its presence. The United States has never accepted the Asssad’s Government ID, but largely gave up Assad’s rule.

What does US involvement appear to be now?

The United States remained involved in Syria in several ways. First, yes About 900 soldiers arranged in some distant parts of Syria To prevent ISIS regrouping.

Advertisement

Secondly, the United States gave greater than USD 1 billion for military assistance for more moderate Armed groups that resisted the control by the Assad government. A big part of this assistance went to the Syrian democratic forces, the military force led by the Kurds, a minority ethnic group that controls the north -eastern Syria and closely cooperated with the US in the fight against ISIS, stained with opposition to Assad.

Thirdly, the United States has retained severe financial sanctions against the Syrian government of 2011 and the fourth, United States providing humanitarian aid for suffering Syrians from the 13-year civil war of the country.

The United States has not played a direct role in the recent overthrow of the Syrian government. Syrian groups of rebels that overthrew Assada Supported mainly by Turkeywhich goals to weaken the Syrian branch of one other Kurdish group called Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Türkiye perceives this group as a threat control your individual Kurdish population.

What does the overthrow of Assad’s government mean for the USA?

The United States doesn’t yet make any decisive judgments about whether this transformation can be good for the United States, the fall of Assad opens the possibility of improving relations between the US and Syria, but it’s going to largely rely on the latest leadership in Syria.

Advertisement

Hayat Tahrir al-ShamOr HTS, a gaggle that led the overthrow of Assad, ruled an authoritative way in the area of ​​Syria, which they’re already controlling.

ISIS is also constant care of the USA. It hits the goals of ISIS In recent days, trying to stop ISIS from gaining land after the fall of the Assad government.

The girl stands and holds the black and green and white flag with three red stars and stands next to several men, including one in a camouflage holding weapons.
People gather with rebel fighters at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, December 10, 2024.
Nael chahine/in the Middle East images/AFP via Getty Images

What do Trump’s election to the US involvement in Syria mean?

Trump took the position of Syria A multitude and that this is not America’s problem. During his first term, Trump wanted to drag out all of them will remain US soldiers from Syriaand his advisers convinced him Keep a small number of soldiers there. Whether latest Syria leaders act in an authoritarian way will probably not matter to Trump.

But Trump is definitely pro -Israel and possibly won’t have an issue with Israel conducting strikes in Syria.

Under Trump’s rule, the United States will probably not be the major player shaping the events in Syria, but I feel that in the interest of the nation he’ll remain involved, because what is happening in Syria affects the rest of the Middle East – and thus, the USA

Advertisement

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending