The speculation over the scope of the expected attacks has grown with each passing day that there are no strikes. An overnight Israeli attack on parts of Damascus triggered initial speculation it could have been the start of the US operation, but it appeared another Israeli 'one-off' hit on Syria.
A southern district of the Syrian capital was targeted, reportedly resulting in the death of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards adviser. Recent weeks have seen an uptick in these Israeli operation which have as their aim the assassination of IRGC commanders in Syria.
Associated Press reported:
"The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the strike hit a farm housing members of Lebanon's Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and other Iran-backed factions. It said the strike killed seven people, including four Syrians, one of whom was the bodyguard of a member of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. It did not give the nationalities of the others."State media sources additionally described:
"At approximately 4:20 a.m. today, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a number of points south of Damascus. Our air defense media responded to the aggression's missiles and shot down some of them, where the losses were limited to material losses."The deadly Israeli attack is a sign of what's imminently to come with the larger, broader US operation expected to take place across parts of Syria and Iraq.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning in response Friday, saying Tehran is ready to "respond strongly" to anyone trying to bully Iran. He said in a televised speech:
"We will not start any war, but if anyone wants to bully us they will receive a strong response. Before, when they (the Americans) wanted to talk to us, they said the military option is on the table. Now they say they have no intention of a conflict with Iran. The Islamic Republic's military power in the region is not and never has been a threat."There have meanwhile been widespread reports saying Iran has already pulled its senior officers out of Iran. This has led some Congressional leaders to criticize the Biden administration's telegraphing the strikes too much, saying the time delay and media reports have allowed Iran and their proxies to prepare. Republican Congressman from Florida Mike Walz said the extent of foreknowledge and wait time makes the whole operation "deliberately unserious".
US defense officials have repeatedly said the weather is a major determining factor as far as the timing of the coming strikes...
In a Thursday briefing, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked whether the US has telegraphed its response too much to the point of essentially allowing leaders to return to Iran. He essentially dodged the question, saying, "We will have a multi-tiered response."
In Iraq, the AFP is reporting Friday that the pro-Iran Al-Nujaba movement and affiliated militias are vowing to keep up attacks on US troops, no matter Washington's military response in the region.
Reader Comments
The reason I ask is because it's quite a spectacular display. That's a lot of fire power. I don't think I've seen anything like it. It's a little hard to digest.
But don’t you Americans worry, many more Americans are now going to die! Christ, you think so little of your sons, is it because they are only black American men that’s dying? Wonder if you’ll change your mind when they are white men!
Is there not one American with a back bone that can address the corruption, that owns the offices of state of the USA? Regardless or race colour or creed what happened to protect the nation from enemies foreign and domestic…. Are these just Hollywood words!
Nothing like a few billion dollars worth of aircraft carriers to get sunk...
"I just spent six months on a leaky boat... trying just to keep afloat..."
Dead Americans sink to bottom dead sea...
Such pain...
Such suffering...
Such a good reason to invest in more defense projects...
More defense technology...
More defense offence, off the wall pretense in an already tense reality...
Damn! that's a queens gambit without a Sicilian defence...
Either way sacrifice has to be made...
Death is our doorway to redemption...
Once redeemed...
We may live forever in eternal bliss...
With our creator...
And all our loving enemies...
As our cheeks are forever turned the other way...