Iran fires rockets at Iraqi air base hours after funeral of slain commander

By Ahmed Aboulenein and Phil Stewart

 

Iraqi people gather during a funeral procession for militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed by U.S. air strike at Baghdad airport, in Basra, Iraq, January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani

 

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran launched a missile attack on U.S.-led forces in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday, hours after the funeral of an Iranian commander whose killing in a U.S. drone strike has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.

 

Tehran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from Iranian territory against at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S.-led coalition personnel, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed that they fired the rockets in retaliation for last week's killing of Qassem Soleimani, according to state TV.

 

"We are working on initial battle damage assessments," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement, adding that the bases targeted were al-Asad air base and another in Erbil, Iraq.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on reports of the attack and was monitoring the situation, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.

 

"We are aware of the reports of attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq. The president has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team," Grisham said in a statement.

 

Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the United States should anticipate retaliation from Iran over the killing in Iraq of Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force.

 

"I think we should expect that they will retaliate in some way, shape or form," Esper told a news briefing at the Pentagon, adding that such retaliation could be through Iran-backed proxy groups outside of Iran or "by their own hand."

 

"We're prepared for any contingency. And then we will respond appropriately to whatever they do."

 

Stock markets in Asia fell sharply on news of the rocket attack, while investor safe havens including the Japanese yen and gold shot higher.

 

Soleimani, a pivotal figure in orchestrating Iran's long-standing campaign to drive U.S. forces out of Iraq, was also responsible for building up Tehran's network of proxy armies across the Middle East.

 

He was a national hero to many Iranians, whether supporters of the clerical leadership or not, but viewed as a dangerous villain by Western governments opposed to Iran's arc of influence running across the Levant and into the Gulf region.

 

'WE WILL TAKE REVENGE'

A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran was considering several scenarios to avenge Soleimani's death. Other senior figures have said the Islamic Republic would match the scale of the killing when it responds, but that it would choose the time and place.

 

"We will take revenge, a hard and definitive revenge," the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, told the throngs in Kerman, Soleimani's hometown in southeastern Iran.

 

Soleimani's burial went ahead after several hours of delay following a stampede that killed at least 56 people and injured more than 210, according an emergency official quoted by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.

 

Soleimani's body had been taken to holy Shi'ite Muslim cities in Iraq and Iran, as well as the Iranian capital, Tehran, before arriving for burial in the city cemetery's "martyrs section", according to the semi-official news agency ISNA.

 

In each place, huge numbers of people filled thoroughfares, chanting: "Death to America" and weeping with emotion. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept as he led prayers in Tehran.

 

Prompted by the strong public backlash over Soleimani's killing on Iraqi soil, lawmakers in Iraq voted on Sunday to demand a removal of all foreign forces from the country.

 

More than 5,000 U.S. troops remain in the country along with other foreign forces as part of a coalition that has trained and backed up Iraqi security forces against the threat of Islamic State militants.

 

U.S. officials have said Soleimani was killed because of solid intelligence indicating forces under his command planned attacks on U.S. targets in the region, although they have provided no evidence.

 

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said 13 "revenge scenarios" were being considered, Fars news agency reported. Even the weakest option would prove "a historic nightmare for the Americans", he said.

 

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Baghdad, Parisa Hafezi and Babak Dehghanpisheh in Dubai, Phil Stewart in Washington, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Steve Scherer in Ottawa and Robin Emmott in Brussels; Writing by Mark Heinrich and Sonya Hepinstall; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-08

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBC is now reporting that Iran is warning that if there is retaliation for the two waves of attacks they launched their 3rd wave will destroy Dubai and Haifa.

https://www.westernstandardonline.com/2020/01/live-irans-revenge-underway/

 

I suspect if the mad mullahs level Dubai and Haifa that Iran will be turned into a large sheet of glass. Time for the Iranian regime to face reality, they picked a fight they just can not win.

1 minute ago, TopDeadSenter said:

NBC is now reporting that Iran is warning that if there is retaliation for the two waves of attacks they launched their 3rd wave will destroy Dubai and Haifa.

https://www.westernstandardonline.com/2020/01/live-irans-revenge-underway/

 

I suspect if the mad mullahs level Dubai and Haifa that Iran will be turned into a large sheet of glass. Time for the Iranian regime to face reality, they picked a fight they just can not win.

Sure. Shock and Awe will prevail.

One interesting thing is that cyber security stocks are sharply down while traditional defense has spiked after hours. The market is pricing in a real war

Iran can hit hit Israel and probably cause a lot of damage but either those mullahs are stupid or senile not realising what israel can do to them in return or simply they have a deathwish and don't give a toss if millions of iranians will perish in a cloud of nuclear fallout...

16 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Iran can hit hit Israel and probably cause a lot of damage but either those mullahs are stupid or senile not realising what israel can do to them in return or simply they have a deathwish and don't give a toss if millions of iranians will perish in a cloud of nuclear fallout...

 

Iran is like a starving soi dog that snaps before it thinks. Their economy is in desperate shape. From the reports there is nobody dead on the base. Either that's harsh revenge or a symbol they are trying to make peace. If nobody died the USA should almost just laugh at them and after a few days step on their jugular.

The news is reporting that there is no American casualties only Iraqi.  So what,  every body bag contains a human being that was alive a few hours ago and who caused it DONALD TRUMP!

52 Smoking turbans maybe on the way????

After all the bravado, Trump back off Oval Office speech to the nation tonight after meeting with key aides in the WH. So no immediate response from the man who started this fire fight. 

11 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Iran is like a starving soi dog that snaps before it thinks. Their economy is in desperate shape. From the reports there is nobody dead on the base. Either that's harsh revenge or a symbol they are trying to make peace. If nobody died the USA should almost just laugh at them.

This is on par with Palestinian kids throwing rocks at Israelis. The morons in the news media will try to make this a big deal, but it's not really. I hardly ever spent a night at Al Assad or Tikrit with out incoming fire of some kind, and almost every round hit in the dirt.

Just now, Eric Loh said:

After all the bravado, Trump back off Oval Office speech to the nation tonight after meeting with key aides in the WH. So no immediate response from the man who started this fire fight. 

 

Smart move. Don't give Iran any info. Nothing at all. If he spoke I would be less worried if I were Iranian.

6 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

So no immediate response from the man who started this fire fight. 

Ummm Trump was chasing models in NYC and getting his face all over the print edition of NY Post as a rich playboy when this firefight started.

 

He didnt start it. On the other hand, everybody over the past 20 years has failed at stoppin it. So its not like he can do any worse.

 

2 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Smart move. Don't give Iran any info. Nothing at all. If he spoke I would be less worried if I were Iranian.

Sure smart move after tweeting how he will respond to Iran but chicken out at time when the nation want to hear from him. Hiding behind tweets are his bravest acts. 

 

Just what Netanyahu has dreamed about for decades. He must be celebrating big. Brace yourself, people!

2 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Ummm Trump was chasing models in NYC and getting his face all over the print edition of NY Post as a rich playboy when this firefight started.

 

He didnt start it. BOn the other hand, everybody over the past 20 years has failed at stoppin it. So its not like he can do any worse.

 

Once again, you've missed the point. He's the one who escalated the conflict in the first place by waging economic war on Iran with the goal of overthrowing the Iranian government.

Perhaps someone could explain how pulling out of the iran deal has made the world a safer place. Thats what started all this.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirm rocket attack on U.S. forces in Iraq

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed on Wednesday that it fired rockets at a U.S. air base in Iraq in revenge for the killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, according to a statement.

 

The statement also warned regional allies of the United States that they will be attacked if their countries are used for attacks against Iran.

 

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Writing Alaa Swilam; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-08

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Sujo said:

Perhaps someone could explain how pulling out of the iran deal has made the world a safer place. Thats what started all this.

Pulling out of the Iran deal alone would have been bad but not catastrophic. It's the escalation of economic warfare with the express purpose of toppling the Iranian government that has created the present situation.

5 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

Smart move. Don't give Iran any info. Nothing at all. If he spoke I would be less worried if I were Iranian.

Id make them wait a day or so...and watch the skies...god that makes me remember the last scene from the original Thing from Another World....tell everybody, watch the skies.......

 

Like every noise from above makes you twitch? Ouch.

 

1 minute ago, webfact said:

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirm rocket attack on U.S. forces in Iraq

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed on Wednesday that it fired rockets at a U.S. air base in Iraq in revenge for the killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, according to a statement.

 

The statement also warned regional allies of the United States that they will be attacked if their countries are used for attacks against Iran.

 

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Writing Alaa Swilam; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-08

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

That  warningshould certainly give the Kuwaitis and Saudis something to think about.

Iraq might be having seconds thoughts right about now to kick the US out. 

Can't wait for  the psychopath's next tweet!  Probably something like;  "Is that all you got!"

11 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Smart move. Don't give Iran any info. Nothing at all. If he spoke I would be less worried if I were Iranian.

Given Trump's penchant for revealing classified information, I'd say you have a point.

5 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Sure smart move after tweeting how he will respond to Iran but chicken out at time when the nation want to hear from him. Hiding behind tweets are his bravest acts. 

 

Trump says he will hit iran hard.

 

iran says it will retaliate in proportion on a military target and thats the end of it.

 

iran considers this over. Now up to trump, let it go, or escalate it again.

just bomb the s_hit out of em...

1 minute ago, Sujo said:

Trump says he will hit iran hard.

 

iran says it will retaliate in proportion on a military target and thats the end of it.

 

iran considers this over. Now up to trump, let it go, or escalate it again.

 

If nobody was killed it might be just that. It would satisfy the news in Tehran.

In fairness to Trump,USA and indeed my UK,you cannot deal with a radical muslim state whose main speeches in their parliament seem to all be 'death to __________' (fill in the gap for whoever muslims hate that week) and who's populace burn flags of whoever they don't like. Iran - or more realistically Islam - really needs to be wiped off the face of the planet for humanity sake. 

 

 

11 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Ummm Trump was chasing models in NYC and getting his face all over the print edition of NY Post as a rich playboy when this firefight started.

 

He didnt start it. On the other hand, everybody over the past 20 years has failed at stoppin it. So its not like he can do any worse.

 

He should stayed with chasing young models. He just don’t have the temperament and the intelligence to be in the highest office of the country. He is poorly influenced by Saudi Arabia and bad judgement in tearing up the JCPOA out of spite with Obama legacy. His trade sanctions and his ordering of the killing of a Soleimani have all his finger prints. He started this and we will see how he will extradite US out of this mess. 

Dear Iran.

You are bringing a knife to a gunfight but you are not Gurkhas so you will lose.

12 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Once again, you've missed the point. He's the one who escalated the conflict in the first place by waging economic war on Iran with the goal of overthrowing the Iranian government.

Economic pressure has been on Iran for decades. It was a stable stand off.  Obama destabilised it with a disingenuous 'deal' to give Iran all they could dream of.

 

Had it been a good deal, that would have been wonderful. It wasn't. It was the Iran version of you can keep your doctor.