Israel Says Over 50 Hezbollah Targets Struck In Syria

Esmail Kowsari, who is of many IRGC senior officers in the hardliner faction in the parliament, reiterated that if there were any Iranian bases among the targets hit by the US in Iraq and Syria, Tehran would have retaliated. He also dismissed any role in the drone attack in Jordan on January 28 that killed three US soldiers and precipitated current tensions.

In the meantime, the United States and Britain launched strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, in the second day of major US operations against Iran-linked groups. The strikes hit buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers and other capabilities the Houthis have used to attack Red Sea shipping, the Pentagon said, adding it targeted 13 locations across the country.

US officials had warned during the week that they were planning a string of attacks on Iran-affiliated targets in the region, and that the retaliatory operation would not be limited to one massive attack.

The action against the Houthis seems to have proven that threat. "This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Iran seeing the writing on the wall tries to disassociate itself from the US strikes on its proxies. Kowsari, when asked if Iran would retaliate, said, "These attacks have no connection to Iran at all. But if the slightest action threatens our resources or interests by the United States, we will undoubtedly and certainly respond with a crushing blow that they will regret."

It is noteworthy that the first wave of retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria took place five days after the attack on the US base in Jordan, leading to criticism that IRGC personnel and senior proxy leaders had ample time to vacate military bases and potential target areas.

Attacks by Iran-backed armed groups started in mid-October after the Gaza war began and so far more than 160 such strikes on US forces in Iraq and Syria have taken place using drones and rockets. The US has retaliated several times against militia targets, but critics say without inflicting pain on the Iranian regime, which is the main sponsor of these groups, nothing will change. Tehran is ready to sacrifice Arab and Afghan fighters it employs, so any retaliation should be aimed at deterring Iran’s rulers.

Official Iranian statements and media coverage of US airstrikes on Saturday indicated that the concerns about a serious retaliation have dissipated and Tehran can move on with pursuing its regional policies.

By Sunday, Iran’s battered currency continued to rise and regained half of the losses it had sustained since early January, once the US strikes appeared to be limited to militia targets, and not directly aimed at any Iranian assets.

However, any increase in tensions with the United States could lead to further currency losses less than four weeks from parliamentary elections, already marred by voter apathy.

On Friday night, the United States hit about 85 targets linked to IRGC Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria, but fears of direct US retaliation to the Iran-backed attack in Jordan that killed three US soldiers and wounded scores did not materialize.

The Biden administration after waiting for five days, targeted bases and warehouses belonging to IRGC proxy forces in Syria and Iraq, after multiple reports indicated that these forces evacuated key personnel and perhaps some weapons.

The regime’s reaction to recent US attacks in Iraq and Syria has not exceeded its usual rhetoric of condemnation and accusations against “the enemy.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned the attacks on Thursday, saying they stem from Washington’s “continued wrong and failed approach to resolving issues by resorting to force and militarism.”

Earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani also dismissed the US offensives as an “adventurous action” and a “strategic mistake,” claiming that they violate international law, the UN Charter, and sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria.

The Iranian currency also somewhat regained its footing, after falling more than 15 percent since early January due to rising regional tensions.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government, Hamas, and Iran-backed Iraqi militant groups Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Hashd al-Shaabi condemned the attacks as well.

Hamas said the “aggression” was an attempt to “cover up Israel’s horrific crimes” in the Gaza Strip.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry warned that the attacks can “fuel conflict in the Middle East in a very dangerous way.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office also condemned the airstrikes as a “new aggression against Iraq's sovereignty,” announcing they killed 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25.

The US-led coalition in the region “has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts,” the office added.

State-sponsored and military-affiliated news agencies in Iran also covered US operations in Iraq and Syria.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reiterated the regime’s rhetoric regarding the incident and even claimed that the Tehran-backed umbrella group, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, carried out a missile attack against Ain al-Asad Air Base in the western province of Anbar, where US forces are stationed. The attack has not yet been confirmed by US officials.

Fars, another IRGC affiliated news agency, published a report titled “‘Belated and Failed Attacks’: Biden Administration under Criticism.”

Citing Roger Wicker, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, US House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Mike Pompeo, former secretary of state, Fars concluded that the recent US military operations in Iraq and Syria have failed to appease the critics of President Joe Biden, who has been under increasing pressure over the past days to retaliate against Iran and its proxies.

In what can be interpreted as an indirect reaction, IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, reported on Iran’s “defensive and military capabilities.”

Rouydad24, a relatively independent news agency in Iran, tried to distance itself from the mouthpieces of the regime and adopted a more analytical approach.

Rouydad24 conducted an interview with former Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, who once served as the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian parliament.

Falahatpisheh discussed the “propaganda” objectives of Biden’s administration and stressed that the recent attacks were intended for “domestic consumption” in the US.

Discussing the relationship between Tehran and militant groups in the region, he remarked, “Now it is too late for Iran to say that it is not coordinating with the resistance forces.”

Iran has avoided any direct military involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict and has instead used its proxy groups such as Houthis and Hezbollah to attack Israeli and American targets in the Middle East. Nonetheless, Iranian officials claim these groups act “independently” and do not receive direct orders from Iran.

The attacks also violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria, said Kanaani on Saturday, and called the US strikes as an “adventurous action” and a “strategic mistake.”

According to the official, the US military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen serve Israel’s goals and will only result in increased tension and instability in the region.

On Friday night, the United States hit about 85 targets linked to IRGC Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

The strikes were carried out in response to an attack on January 28 by Iran-backed militants against a US base in Jordan which claimed the lives of three American soldiers and left more than 40 injured.

Though Iran has avoided any direct military involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the regime has used its proxy groups such as Houthis and Hezbollah to attack Israeli and American targets in the region.

Meanwhile, Syria and Iraq also condemned the US overnight attacks.

“What (the US) committed has served to fuel conflict in the Middle East in a very dangerous way,” read the statement issued by the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s office also dismissed the offensives as a “new aggression against Iraq's sovereignty.”

The US-led coalition in the region “has become a reason for threatening security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts,” the office added.

According to Baghdad, the US attacks in Iraq killed 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25.

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby stated that Washington had notified Baghdad prior to the attacks. Iraq has called Kirby’s assertion “a lie.”

“We reaffirm our support for and solidarity with resistance movements in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and the region,” IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency quoted Ali al-Qahoum, a member of Yemeni Houthis’ politburo, as saying.

Hotuhis, who receive extensive assistance from Iran, are part of Tehran's web of armed groups throughout the region.

On Friday night, the United States hit about 85 targets linked to IRGC Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

The strikes were carried out in response to an attack on January 28 by Iran-backed militants against a US base in Jordan which claimed the lives of three American soldiers and left more than 40 injured.

So far, there has been no reaction from Iranian officials to US strikes. However, in what can be interpreted as an indirect reaction, IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, published a report highlighting Iran’s “defensive and military capabilities.”

Though US President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed to hold accountable “all” sides who had a part in the deadly Jordan incident, White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that Washington is not seeking conflict with Iran or regional escalation.

On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi remarked that “the enemy cannot take any action against us because it knows that our forces are powerful and capable.”

“Previously...they used to talk with threats and military options on the table. But now, there are no such talks, and they say they have no intention of conflict with the Islamic Republic. It is the strength of our people and our armed forces that has created this deterrence,” he went on to say.

Minutes into Saturday (3 February) local time, US military hit more than 85 sites belonging to IRGC Quds Force and its allied armed groups, in retaliation for last weekend’s drone attack on a US base in Jordan which killed 3 American soldiers and wounded more than 30.

“‘This is the start of our response,” US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement shortly after the attack.. “The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.”

More than 125 precision munitions were employed in the 30-minute attack, according to US Central Command. The targets included “command and control operations centers, intelligence centers,” and drone and missile storages belonging to “militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”

The operation was by far the biggest and most extensive attack against Iran and its proxies since last October. Its impact, however, is harder to gauge in the absence of reliable information. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has claimed that at least 18 Iran-backed fighters have been killed in the strikes –their nationalities still unknown.

However, early Saturday, AlJazeera reported that IRGC Quds force had no base in the targeted areas, raising more questions about the merits of the operation after nearly a week of public chatter that can give potential targets enough notice to relocate or shelter.

“Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response,” US House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X. “Now is the time for President Biden to wake up to the reality that his policy of placating Iran has failed.”

Shortly after the airstrikes, President Biden reiterated that he doesn’t want a war with Iran. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this,” he added, if you harm an American, we will respond.”

Armed groups in Syria and Iraq, funded and trained by Iran, have launched more than 150 attacks against American soldiers since Israel began its onslaught against Gaza.

“Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said Friday night. .” We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and hold those responsible who threaten their safety."

US officials told reporters that the Biden administration has no plans to bomb Iran, even though they believe that it had armed the groups behind the Tower 22 attack.

“The goal here is to get these attacks to stop,” US national security spokesperson John Kirby said. “We’re not looking for a war with Iran.”

Experts say the retaliatory strikes Friday night were clearly designed to minimize the risk of a direct confrontation between the US and Iran, while destroying the latter’s arsenal in Syria and Iraq. In the Congress, many are opposed –and have been opposed– to the idea of a cautious and limited response.

“Iran and its proxies have tried to kill American soldiers and sink our warships 165 times while the Biden administration congratulates itself for doing the bare minimum,” Senator Roger Wicker of the Armed Services Committee posted on X. “Instead of giving the Ayatollah the bloody nose it deserves, we continue to give him a slap on the wrist.”

But the director of operations of the Joint Staff Gen Sims, rejected the notion that the delay in response to the killing of American soldiers was to give Iran time to pull its forces out of danger. The targets of the retaliation, he pointed out, would have scattered as soon as their weapons had been fired, so the 5-day delay did not make much difference. But there were many reports by news agencies and local observers who noted Iran was pulling out top commanders and assets from potential target areas.