US and Israel Face Fresh Attacks
Iraqi and Yemeni Resistance Target US Sites Over the War in Gaza
Ansar Allah (Houthi) group claimed on Wednesday that one of their ballistic missiles hit a US warship during an hours-long confrontation in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab region.
Yahya Saree, the spokesperson of the Yemeni armed forces also claimed that the Houthi attack forced two American merchant ships to retreat. Though the US central command (CENTCOM) confirmed the Houthi missiles targeting US ships, it denied they hit the US warship directly.
Yemeni attacks in the Red Sea area have continued despite the US and UK carrying out repeated air strikes inside the country since 11 January. On Monday, both the countries launched eight attacks at different locations inside Yemen including capital Sanaa.
The air strikes carried out by the US and the UK have allegedly targeted and destroyed several Houthi missile launch sites. The US has also designated the Houthis as a “terrorist organization” following their blockade on ships going to Israel through the Red Sea.
Saree reiterated that they will continue to attack ships heading towards Israel until the war in Gaza ends.
On Wednesday, the Houthi-backed government in Sanaa issued an order asking all US and UK citizens employed with the UN and other organizations in the county to leave within a month. It also instructed organizations working in the country to not employ any citizen of the US or the UK in future.
Iraqi resistance targets US bases again, claims drone strike on Israeli port
Meanwhile, Iraqi resistance forces claimed on Thursday 25 January that one of their drones hit the Ashdod port in central Israel on Wednesday, Al-Mayadeen reported. The group responsible for the attack claimed that it was carried out as a part to the “second phase” of operations against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, a constituent of the Hashd al-Shaabi Resistance in Iraq, claimed that attacks at Ashdod were carried out with the objective of blocking trade with Israel through the Mediterranean route.
It also claimed that the attacks were also in response to US airstrikes in Iraq on 24 January.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the claims.
On Wednesday, the US carried out three air strikes inside Iraq killing one member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a semi official militia group. The US strikes hit al-Qaim near Anbar and Jurf al-Nasr near Baghdad, one of the training facilities for PMF forces.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claimed that the attacks in Iraq were carried out on the instructions given by president Joe Biden and in response to “a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria.”
The Iraqi government condemned these strikes calling it a violation of the country’s sovereignty and its security and stability.
CENTCOM claimed that the attacks were in retaliation to 20 January attacks on Ain al-Assad air base. The attack was reportedly the biggest attack on the US base since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza on 7 October.
The US forces have been targeted more than 150 times since 7 October, with 70 personnel suffering injuries.
Iraqi resistance forces also targeted three US military bases in Syria and Iraq on Wednesday. The US bases at Conoco gas fields in Deir Ezzor province in Syria, Erbil Airport and Ain al-Assad base in Iraq were targeted on the early mornings of Wednesday, PMF said in a statement.
The repeated attacks on US bases in the region has led to increasing talks of their withdrawal from Syria and Iraq. On Tuesday, a Foreign Policy report claimed that the country is planning to pull out all its forces from Syria as their presence there is no longer necessary.
The Iraqi government has repeatedly talked about implementing its parliament’s resolution of 2020 demanding complete withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.