Just weeks after the Biden administration allowed sanctions on Iran's missile program to expire, a collection of its supported terrorist proxies operating collectively as the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" announced that it now has a "medium-range missile" intended for strikes against U.S. troops on bases around Iraq and Syria.
As a CENTCOM spokesperson explained to Newsweek, the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq is not a unique entity, however, but rather 'is a broader term used to describe the operations of all Iran-backed militias in Iraq to include the recent spate of strikes into Iraq and Syria during the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.'"
More from Newsweek's November 2 write-up:
The comments from CENTCOM came after the U.S. military conducted last week what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin referred to as "self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups." He vowed U.S. forces would take "further necessary measures to protect our people" if such attacks continued.
However, with attacks continuing unabated, CENTCOM issued a new warning to Tehran and its "Axis of Resistance" partners that have grown increasingly active as the U.S. has heightened its regional military presence amid the Israel-Hamas war.
[...]
In the one of the latest claimed attacks on U.S. troops, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq said in a statement Wednesday that its fighters "targeted the 'Al-Tanf' base of the American occupation in Syria with two drones."
On Thursday, however, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq appeared to adopt an even more ambitious approach by claiming to have attacked "a vital target for the Zionist entity on the coast of the Dead Sea," which lies between Israel and the West Bank on one side and Jordan on the other. The group said the operation came in "response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly."
The group vowed "it will continue to destroy enemy strongholds."
Hours later, yet a new attack on U.S. forces was announced by the group, this time in Iraq, having targeted "the American occupation base adjacent to Erbil Airport, with two drones."
Then, in a message accompanied by what appeared to be some sort of cruise missile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq stated that, "in support of our people in Palestine, and to avenge the martyrs, next week we will begin a new phase in confronting the enemies, and it will be more severe and widespread on its bases in the region."
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As Vespa reported at the end of October, the Pentagon has been "racing to deploy anti-ballistic missile systems across the Middle East" in response to already launched strikes at U.S. troops in the Middle East and in anticipation of an escalation of attacks as Iran's network of terrorist proxies launches more and new weapons at Americans in the region as well as toward Israel.
Despite the Biden-ordered strike on two IRGC-linked facilities in Syria last month, it appears clear that Biden's attempt to dissuade Iran and its terrorist proxies from escalating their attacks on U.S. troops and American allies is not working. Unsurprisingly, the Biden-Harris messaging of "don't" is not working.
Instead, the U.S. government continues to confirm additional attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East along with an increasing number of injuries suffered by American personnel.
The Iran Regime is directly responsible.
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) November 6, 2023
They should be held accountable. https://t.co/3HQhmSaNZh
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