US military targets Iran-backed militias in response to attack on Jordan base

The United States launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people, in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops on a base in Jordan.
The strikes, which included the use of long-range B-1 bombers flown from the U.S., were the first in response to the attack last weekend in Jordan by Iran-backed militants, and more U.S. military operations are expected in the coming days.
This indicates a significant escalation in the conflict that has spread into the region since war erupted between Israel and Hamas after the terrorist group launched a deadly assault on Israel on Oct.7, killing and raping men, women and children and taking hundreds captive.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement the attacks represented “another adventurous and strategic mistake by the United States that will result only in increased tension and instability”.
Through its Iranian-backed militias, Iran has carried out more than 150 rocket and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since mid-October.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the strikes that Biden had directed additional action against the IRGC and anyone affiliated with i. “This is the start of our response,” Austin said.
“We do not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else, but the president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces,” Austin added.
The U.S. military also carried out strikes against a ground control center as well as against drones belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
U.S. forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region”, the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.
“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” it added.
The rebel terrorist group said on Wednesday that all U.S. and British warships participating in “aggression” against Yemen are targets, heightening concerns over the escalating tensions in the region as well as the increased disruption to world trade.
CENTCOM said earlier that the USS Carney had shot down an antiship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis and downed three Iranian drones soon after.
The Houthis said on Wednesday that their naval forces carried out an operation hitting an “American merchant ship” in the Gulf of Aden hours after firing missiles at the U.S. Navy destroyer Gravely.
While the U.S. and Iran have avoided direct confrontation, analysts believe the Biden administration will need to strike Iran directly if the Islamic regime continues to order its proxies to strike American targets.
Meanwhile, CENTCOM said forces had destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile that posed a threat to “US aircraft”, in a marked difference from past air raids that have focused on the group’s ability to affect global shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, began targeting Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea in November in what they say is an act of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and in support of Hamas.
U.S. and British forces have responded to the attacks by striking the Houthis, who have since declared US and British interests as legitimate targets.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his British counterpart, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, to discuss the situation in the Red Sea and the “international action to hold the Houthis accountable for their illegal and reckless attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden”, the U.S. Department of State said.
The U.S. has set up a multinational naval task force to help protect Red Sea shipping from the Houthis’ repeated attacks on the busy waterways that carry up to 12 percent of global trade.
“This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” Centcom said in announcing the news.
As part of efforts to stop Iran-backed Houthi militants from attacking vital Middle Eastern shipping lanes, Blinken announced earlier this month that the U.S. would once again classify the Yemeni rebel group as a terrorist organization. The State Department says the step will enable the U.S. to restrict the group’s access to financial support more effectively.
The bigger question is whether the U.S. will manage to deter Iran from further strikes against its forces in the Middle East. If not, the next logical step would be to strike Iran directly.