US says strikes on Iran-linked targets just 'the beginning'
The BBC's Paul Adams on the routes out of this 'dangerous moment' in the Middle East
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The BBC's Paul Adams on the routes out of this 'dangerous moment' in the Middle East
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Edited by Francesca Gillett in Washington DC
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BreakingUS and UK launch new strikes in Yemen
New strikes by the UK and US against Houthi targets in Yemen are currently underway, US officials tell CBS, the BBC's US partner.
These are in addition to the “self defence” strikes against Houthi cruise missiles that the US announced earlier on Saturday.
Those earlier strikes targeted six anti-ship cruise missiles that were preparing to launch at ships in the Red Sea, as we reported in an earlier post.
This is the third round of joint strikes conducted by the US and UK.
Stay with us.
UN Security Council to meet after US strikes
The UN Security Council has agreed to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the US strikes on Iran-backed militia groups based in Iraq and Syria.
CBS News, the BBC's US partner, has reported the meeting will happen in New York at 16:00 EST (21:00GMT).
The meeting comes at the request of Russia, a permanent council member and a close ally of Iran.
Ukraine's government and Western intelligence agencies say Russia has been using Iranian-made drones since February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
US Congress announces new bill for $17.6bn Israel aid package
Let's take a brief moment to look at US politics.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson has just announced that Republicans will introduce a new bill for a $17.6bn (£13.9bn) aid package to Israel.
The measure will come as a blow to negotiators in the Democratic-controlled Senate, who have sought a Israel aid package that also includes defence funds for Ukraine and Taiwan.
Efforts to pass the Senate Democrats' bill failed last year as Republicans insisted that the foreign aid bill include an overhaul of the US immigration system.
In a letter to House Republicans on Saturday, Johnson says the need for the aid package has grown since a now-stalled initial version of the bill was passed three months ago.
He also mentioned Friday's US retaliatory strikes in the letter:
US destroys Houthi missiles in Yemen
US forces have launched fresh attacks against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, according to US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.
At 19:20 in Yemen (16:20GMT/11:20EST) US troops "conducted strikes in self-defense against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea".
The Centcom statement adds that the missiles "presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region".
The US and the UK began strikes against Houthi targets last month because of continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The US strikes have continued at a steady pace since then. On Thursday, US forces shot down a drone in the Gulf of Aden, as well as an uncrewed attack speedboat and two anti-ship ballistic missiles.
The US bomber known as the 'Bone'
B-1 bombers, which were flown from the US to participate in the overnight strikes, are considered the "the backbone of America's long-range bomber force," according to the US Air Force.
It's a fitting label, given that its nickname is "Bone". B-one. Get it?
Here's what we know about the planes:
Senior Biden ally praises 'proportional response'
Democratic Senator Jack Reed, the chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, has praised the US airstrikes as a "strong, proportional response".
In a statement, he says "Iran’s proxy forces in Syria and Iraq have been dealt a significant blow, and Iranian-linked militias around the Middle East should understand that they, too, will be held accountable".
We're in an election year in the US of course, and a lot of reactions coming from US lawmakers hint at this fact.
"I support President Biden’s robust action," Reed said, adding: "I am confident the Biden Administration will continue to respond and safeguard the American people.”
Iraqi prime minister hopes to achieve 'mission impossible'
Nafiseh Kohnavard
BBC Persian Middle East correspondent, reporting from Baghdad
There is a clear disappointment among Iraqi government officials in Baghdad.
A high ranking official tells me they did what they could to stop US attacks on Iraqi soil because they could predict the cycle of violence that it could create.
Another Iraqi military official tells me at least one of the bases that was bombed belonged to Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and had "nothing to do” with recent attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
PMF is an umbrella group for various Shia armed groups and volunteers that was created during the fight against Islamic State. Some of the major Iran-allied groups are also part of it, but the organisation itself has been integrated into Iraqi armed forces under the command of the prime minister.
An Iraqi Shia militia commander told me a year ago that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had reached an agreement with various pro-Iran factions to distinguish two groups: first, those that are part of the PMF and under Iraqi control, and second, those that want to be considered part of the “axis of resistance”.
And apparently Tehran gave this plan its blessing too.
But “mixing Shia armed groups that are part of PMF with those that consider themselves as 'axis of resistance' and attack US bases is a huge mistake and puts the Iraqi government in an awkward situation”, the Iraqi official tells me now.
It's also important to remember that Prime Minister al-Sudani came to power with the support of some of these Iraqi paramilitary leaders. And despite everything, he's also trying to maintain a close relationship with Washington.
What he was hoping to achieve is "mission impossible", some say, both here and in the West.
BBC Verify
Emma Pengelly and Paul Brown
Watch: Footage shows US strikes on Iraqi town of al-Qaim
Video content
The BBC has verified three videos that have emerged from last night's strikes which show the same incident in the town of Qaim in Iraq, which is on the border with Syria.
The footage shows a fire and a series of secondary ignitions from projectiles flying in apparently random directions away from the blaze.
Weapons expert J Andres Gannon of Vanderbilt University told the BBC that the secondary explosions were likely short-range rockets which were ignited by the initial blast - suggesting that the target was a weapons depot.
There's also the possibility that the rockets were fired off deliberately to avoid them igniting on the ground and causing casualties.
Justin Bronk, a weapons expert at RUSI agrees that the seemingly random trajectories of the burning projectiles suggest that they are rockets "cooking off" after the primary strike.
Blinken's Middle East tour is a moment of opportunity
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent
The US strikes come as its secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, is about to embark on his fifth tour of the Middle East since early October.
Over the course of five days, he'll visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank.
Every trip so far has been about trying to put out the brush fires threatening to engulf the Middle East. Each time the secretary of state returns to the region, there seems to be a new one.
Blinken's fire-fighting capabilities are being sorely tested.
A brief summary of his agenda, released by the State Department, points to the complex web of inter-connected issues he's grappling with.
Hostages and humanitarian assistance in Gaza, freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, US personnel in the region and "lasting security for Israelis and Palestinians alike".
It's a daunting list, but one which suggests that this is also a moment of opportunity.
Read more on this story here.
Jordan did not take part in US strikes - official
Jordan did not participate in the air strikes carried out by the US in Iraq, a Jordanian military official says.
The unnamed source told the Jordanian news agency Petra that there is no truth to media reports circulating about the participation of Jordanian aircraft in operations carried out by the US.
The source said that the Jordanian Armed Forces "respects the sovereignty of brotherly Iraq".
Defence expert says Iran-backed groups may 'rein in action' now
The defence editor of the Economist tells the BBC that he's seen some indication that "the Iran-backed militia in Iraq realise that in killing these [US] troops in Jordan they may have gone too far".
Speaking on the BBC News channel a short while ago, Shashank Joshi says this means they may now "rein in" some of their attacks on US bases in the region.
"At the same time, with Iran having been exposed to this, particularly if there are successive waves of strikes, it will also have to save face by responding in some fashion," he adds.
This action, he says, will likely be "fairly limited", but this "depends on what that next round of US strikes looks like".
Russia calls UN security council meeting after US strikes
Russia has called for an "urgent" meeting of the UN Security Council over the US strikes on Iran-backed militia groups based in Iraq and Syria.
"We just demanded an urgent sitting of the UN Security Council over the threat to peace and safety created by US strikes on Syria and Iraq," Moscow's diplomat at the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said on social media.
Russia - a permanent council member - has becomes a close ally of Iran.
Ukraine's government and Western intelligence agencies say Russia has been using Iranian-made drones since February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Iran expert says Tehran to 'cool' Iraqi militia
As we continue to analyse the US airstrikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, tells the BBC that we are now likely to see a "reduction" of Iran's rhetoric in the coming days.
Even thought "we've already seen in the Red Sea that US-UK strikes have not really resulted in a cessation of attacks by the Houthis," Mehran Kamrava says that "Iraqi proxies are a different story".
Kamrava suggests that Tehran will now attempt "to cool the Iraqi militia so they don't engage in these tit-for-tat attacks with the Americans".
Could Iran change its approach after US strikes?
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent
Three days ago, the leader of Kataib Hezbollah, one of the leading Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and a US-designated terrorist group, said it had suspended operations against US forces - a possible sign that Iran was already looking to avoid a further escalation.
But now that the US has struck back, could Tehran's calculation change?
"The United States hasn't struck Iran, so there isn't anything for Iran to do," Prof Mohammad Marandi of Tehran University told the BBC on Saturday morning.
While it's true that the Biden administration resisted the urge to target Iran directly, Tehran's calculations are not likely to be so black and white.
It has also said that it is not interested in a war with America, but through its allies and proxies across the Middle East, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen, it has a range of options to choose from.
Both sides are weighing up their next steps, with Joe Biden saying on Friday that the US response had only just begun.
Read more on this story here.
As major military powers dance around each other, they’re stepping on others’ toes
Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent
The US’s carefully chosen targets in Iraq and Syria steered clear of the direct strike on Iran both Washington, and Tehran, want to avoid.
But now there’s a cascade of condemnations from Iraqi politicians and militias accusing the US of “aggression”, insisting their country is not “an arena for settling scores”.
It’s hard to reconcile Baghdad’s stance that it was not informed in advance, as the Americans claim, with very clear signals all week of the US’s intentions.
This may be, for some, about saving face. But for now, there’s an escalating war of words including veiled threats; even that can be incendiary at such a volatile time.
Iran provoked similar ire last month when it chose to attack targets in Iraqi Kurdistan and its neighbour Pakistan, believing there would be little blowback for these retaliatory strikes. Pakistan then felt compelled to launch its own counter-strike. But the embers soon cooled.
Iraq, as well as Syria, must now be braced for the next wave of US attacks, assessing their own moves as others wage war on their turf.
Iran expert suggests 'everybody was already prepared' for US strikes
Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran expert and a former lecturer of regional studies at the University of Tehran, has been speaking to our colleagues on the BBC World Service's Weekend programme about the possible impact of the US strikes overnight.
"As far as I could tell, the Iraqis had been informed [of the attacks] beforehand," he says.
Azizi also notes that preparations had been "going on for days", including "deliberate leaks to the media about the scope and geographical focus of the attacks".
Azizi adds that in the past few days, Iran had redeployed some of it's high ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers from Syria back to the border areas between Iran and Iraq "to keep them safe".
"The attacks were mainly targeted at the facilities and infrastructure, as far as I know," Azizi says.
Iraq's presidency condemns 'blatant violation' of sovereignty
Orla Guerin
Reporting from Erbil
The Iraqi presidency has condemned “this aggression… which represents a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.
It could hardly do otherwise.
Iraq is simultaneously hosting about 2,500 US troops, while American warplanes carry out bombings on it’s soil.
That’s a tricky position for an inherently weak state.
The authorities here had advance warning of the strikes, according to the White House. But Baghdad has denied this, saying a claim of co-ordination was unfounded.
The question now is how the Iranian backed militias here will respond. Will they stop their campaign of attacks on US bases? Tehran appears to want them to lie low, as least for now, to avoid the risk of further escalation.
America’s opening round of strikes increase tension in Iraq
Orla Guerin
Reporting from Erbil
The strikes have caused damage and death, but on a relatively limited scale. That was clearly Washington’s intention.
Iraqi authorities say 16 people have been killed including civilians in strikes near the Syrian border.
It could have been a lot worse.
There was no element of surprise. The clock began counting down last Sunday after the killing of three US troops in Jordan.
The attacks were carefully calibrated and telegraphed in response. Key figures in Iranian-backed militias had plenty of time to get away from obvious targets.
The militias had a chance to safeguard weapons and ammunition.
Iraq's military has warned the US bombing raids could lead to ‘dire consequences’ for the region.
By ordering these airstrikes, Biden is walking a delicate tightrope
Will Vernon
BBC News, Washington
Washington must ensure it strikes a balance between deterrence and escalation. Deterrence means sending a message to Iran and the militant groups it supports: that attacks on US troops must stop.
At the same time, the US has to ensure it doesn’t escalate tensions to a dangerous new level in a volatile region. White House officials have been keen to stress that America does not want a war with Iran. That’s why the targets for these strikes were all in Iraq and Syria, and not in Iran itself.
But it’s also a presidential election year here. The campaign is gearing up to be one of the most closely-fought and polarising in recent history. Any decision that President Biden takes will be under even more scrutiny.
For former President Donald Trump, who will almost certainly be the Republican presidential nominee, the Iran issue is one of the many sticks he uses to hit Joe Biden. Trump regularly accuses the President of being too soft on Tehran.
Added to all that, the US is currently engaged in delicate negotiations over a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza, which could lead to a pause in fighting and the release of dozens of hostages.
Tomorrow, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sets off on another diplomatic tour around the Middle East, meeting key regional leaders. He will be continuing the talks on Gaza, and US officials will want to ensure that the military action launched last night doesn’t jeopardise those crucial negotiations.
Watch: Footage shows destruction in Iraqi town
Video content
Video footage showing damaged buildings and burnt cars in the town of al-Qaim, Iraq, appears to reveal some of the damage caused by the US strikes.
A spokesperson for Iraq's prime minister has warned the strikes will bring "disastrous consequences for the security and stability" of the region.