Former commander of NATO’s forces in Europe Wesley Clark
Commemorating the third martyrdom anniversary of General Qassem Suleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis in a ceremony, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah indicated on Tuesday that the American project seeks hegemony, domination, and control of wealth and oil.
Sayyed Nasrallah added that throughout two decades, Haj Qassem faced two versions of the American schemes in the region.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah
“The first version of the American scheme in the region, which was confronted by martyr Suleimani and other leaders, is the “New Middle East” project in Lebanon and Palestine,” the Hezbollah leader indicated. He explained that 9/11 (September, 11 attacks) served as an impetus to the American plan to enter Afghanistan and Iraq and get closer to Iran and Syria.
“In 2006, attempts began to unleash in order to strike the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon, and the objective was to invade and impose multinational forces at the airport, ports, and borders,” Sayyed Nasrallah said. “At that time, Hajj Qassem Suleimani set foot in frontlines as a leader; Iran stood firm, and Syria, too, leaving the enemy with dilemma in July war,” he added.
“Had the Zionists won the war on Lebanon, it would have expanded towards Syria, but that did not happen thanks to martyr Suleimani.”
Sayyed Nasrallah lauded Shiite and Sunni resistance factions in Iraq who fought the occupation forces with utmost sincerity; where exceptional operations targeting the American occupation forces took place, imposing on occupation forces to set a timetable for withdrawal. He said that when occupation forces faltered, the operations increased until they forced them to leave.
“If we combine what the Iraqi resistance has done with the steadfastness of Iran, Syria, along with the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine, we conclude that the first version of the American scheme has ended and failed,” Sayyed Nasrallah asserted.
The result of the first version of the American scheme, the Hezbollah leader said, is that [Former US President Donald] Trump was forced to go secretly to Iraq despite spending 7 thousand billion dollars on this scheme.
In confirmation, the former commander of NATO’s forces in Europe, Wesley Clark, said he met a senior military officer in Washington in November 2001 who told him the Bush administration was planning to attack Iraq first before taking action against Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan.
Former commander of NATO’s forces in Europe Wesley Clark
The general’s remarks surfaced in a book, The Clark Critique, excerpts from which appeared in the latest edition of the US magazine Newsweek.
Clark said after the 11 September 2001 attacks, many Bush administration officials seemed determined to move against Iraq, invoking the idea of state sponsorship of terrorism, “even though there was no evidence of Iraqi sponsorship of 9/11 whatsoever”.
Turning to the second phase which began with the tenure of Former US president Barak Obama, Sayyed Nasrallah said that when they (the US administration) discovered that large-scale wars are doomed to failure, and that relying on ‘Israel’ in wars is a fiasco, wars took on an internal turn; with the eruption of inner and sectarian strife after the emergence of Takfiris.
“This version was the version of destroying countries and peoples, so that America will come out as the ‘savior’. In this arena, Suleimani and Al-Muhandis were present in public because they were supposed to be in the field to fight off this scheme,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, stating that before these two major and historic failures, Trump decided to deal a decisive blow to the resistance axis by assassinating both commanders (Suleimani and Al-Muhandis).
Clark acknowledged Iranian and Syrian support for resistance groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian movement Hamas.
“But neither Hezbollah nor Hamas were targeting Americans,” he wrote. “Why not build international power against Al Qaeda?”
Instead, Clark pointed the finger at what he called “the real sources of terrorists – US allies in the region like Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia”.
Clark blamed Egypt’s “repressive policies”, Pakistan’s “corruption and poverty”, as well as Saudi Arabia’s “radical ideology and direct funding” for creating a pool of angry young men who became “terrorists”.
Hezbollah’s secretary general said that with a two million-man funeral held for martyr Suleimani, the largest in history, and his emergence as an inspiration and symbol for Iranians, the scheme had an adverse effect on America, adding that after the martyrdom of Suleimani, the “deal of the century” fell through, Lebanon established the rules of deterrence, and victory was achieved in the issue of demarcating the maritime borders.
Indeed, when applied geopolitically and militarily vis-a-vis Zion’s war on the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Mouqawamah Bloc partners, the “chazakah” sought by the Jews in this instance is the elimination of the Dauntless and Defiant trifecta of Suleimani (R.A.), Al-Mohandes (R.A.) and al-Zaydi, which will bring “peace” to the “house” of World Jewry because the most effective personalities in countering its intrigue, these “Viceroys of Amalek”, will be no more. And because the afterlife is barely an afterthought at best in Judaism, with Jewish scholars noting that “Judaism is focused on life and how to live it”, and with the “Torah” having ZERO – repeat, ZERO – mention of it at all, Jews can’t comprehend the Culture of Martyrdom present in Iran as well as Ansarullahi Yemen and elsewhere that keeps its adherents resisting no matter what calamities they face down. Keeping this in mind, al-Zaydi lives, alhamdulillah, and Jewish plots against him and Kata’ib Imam Ali persist as a result.
That was the “spiritual” angle. Now, the historical facets of the ramped up Zionist onslaught against Iraq and Syria are staring everyone right in the face via the name of Shibl al-Zaydi’s group of Righteous Renegades: Kata’ib IMAM ALI (A.S.) The brother, successor and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) was a tour-de-force against the Jewish Power Configuration of his era and on the battlefield, he mopped the floor with the Yahoudlings. Because the Jews were impotent when confronting Haydar al-Karrar (A.S.) eye-to-eye, they collapsed into the shadows, their home, hatching a scheme of subterfuge to dispatch the Imam (A.S.) It was a Jew, Ibn Muljim (L.A.), who assassinated him in the most cowardly manner of cowardly manners, driving a poison sword into his head as he was in prayer in the masjid. Exactly like the cowardly fashion the US and ‘Israel’ murdered Suleimani (R.A.) and Al-Mohandes (R.A.), slaughtering them with a flying robot while they were unarmed on a peace mission. Verily, the similarities between Amir al-Mou2mineen (A.S.) and his modern-day acolytes, the Knight of Kerman (R.A.) and the Brightness of Basra (R.A.), are vast. Most especially in the identical enemy opposing them.
Understanding this struggle as an ideological one will give us better insights into how Dajjal and its lieutenants operate. It is Judaism driving the latest flare-up against Iran currently, along with the war on Islam historically. Not just Zionism, which is merely the political outgrowth of Judaism. The Jewish obsession with the number 3 and the Halakhic-Talmudic-Kabbalistic need to “make permanent” all things in line with the “mitzvot” of the “Torah” is demented. Simply demented. This Judaic fanaticism is dangerous to the umpteenth degree. For the Iraqi Islamic Resistance and the Mouqawamah Bloc of course, yes, but also the whole of the globe. We pray for ALLAH (SWT) to encase in armor all pure-souled opponents of Shlomo as the battle against Jewish supremacist evil rages.
And we sincerely pray for the Jews to hearken to the teachings of Rasoulallah (S.A.W.W.) and Christ (A.S.) before they take us and themselves into oblivion. To say they’re too far out in front of their skis and have been for quite some time is the understatement of… Well… the 40 some odd centuries they’ve been around, wandering about and tormenting Gentiledom along the way.
The so-called International Coalition claims it thwarted an unmanned aerial systems attack near a US occupation military base in Syria.
The drone attack on US occupation Al-Tanf base in Syria
The US occupation military base in Al Tanf in Syria, which is located on the Iraq-Syrian border, was targeted with a drone attack, news sources reported on Monday.
The attack was carried out by the Iraqi Resistance drone unit, the Iranian news agency Mehr quoted an Iraqi security source as saying.
The Iraqi source indicated that the Iraqi Resistance targeted the US occupation base in Al Tanf using several bomb-carrying drones, Mehr reported.
The so-called International Coalition said it thwarted an “unmanned aerial systems [UAS]” attack near a US military base in Syria, with no casualties or material damage reported.
“Operation Inherent Resolve forces, in coordination with our Maghaweir al-Thowra [MaT] partners, responded to an attack by multiple unmanned aerial systems in the vicinity of Al-Tanf Garrison at approximately 6:30 a.m.,” the coalition said in a statement.
The so-called coalition claimed that its forces “successfully engaged one UAS preventing its impact. A second UAS detonated within a MaT forces compound resulting in zero casualties or reported damage.”
In response, Major General John Brennan, the commander of the coalition, claimed that “such attacks put the lives of innocent Syrian civilians at risk and undermine the significant efforts by our Partner forces to maintain the lasting defeat of ISIS [Islamic State].”
Brennan added that the “coalition personnel retain the right to self-defense, and we will take appropriate measures to protect our forces.”
According to Rudaw, “There have been at least 11 rocket and drone attacks against sites housing American forces in Iraq and Syria this year.”
Syrian air defenses confront Israeli aggression on Tartus
The attack on the US occupation base in Syria comes hours after the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) confirmed that Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile targets in the sky of Tartus and in the air of the Qalamoun mountain range near the Lebanese border.”
Earlier, Al Mayadeen correspondent in Damascus reported that three explosions were heard in the sky of the Syrian city of Tartus.
Our correspondent added that the Syrian air defenses engaged Israeli missiles targeting positions in the vicinity of Tartus, noting that the aggression was carried out by Israeli warplanes from over Lebanese territory.
In a statement, a military source said that “the Israeli enemy carried out at 20:50 today a missile aggression, targeting some points in Damascus countryside using southeastern Beirut’s air space and coinciding with another one targeting some points southern Tartous using the Mediterranean airspace.”
“The aggression led to the death of three soldiers, the wounding of three others,” the source indicated.
US reviews Israeli plans for strikes against Iranian targets in Syria
Behind the curtains, current and former officials say that for several years, many Israeli missions have been reviewed in advance for approval by senior officials at US Central Command and the Pentagon.
This means that the formal coordination was previously unknown, and the secrecy surrounding it demonstrates how Washington has sought to support its Israeli ally.
The US review, according to the Wall Street Journal, mainly focuses on Israeli missions in eastern Syria that pass close to the US occupation’s Al-Tanf base.
What is the US doing in Syria?
Besides being an occupation that backs armed groups for its own operations and agenda in the region, the US occupation forces continue to steal Syrian oil by smuggling it from their bases in Syria to their bases in Iraq.
Convoys of tens of vehicles, including tankers loaded with stolen oil from oil fields occupied by US forces in Syria, are frequently seen crossing toward northern Iraq, in addition to trucks loaded with military equipment.
US troops loot 84 oil tankers from Syria, smuggle them into Iraq
On Sunday, SANA reported that the US occupation forces in Syria looted 89 oil tankers from Syria and smuggled them into Iraq through illegal crossings.
A convoy of 89 oil tanks left from Al-Yaarubiyah, Al-Hasakah Governorate, using the illegal border crossing of Al-Mahmudiyah in northeastern Syria to get to Iraq, SANA also said on Saturday.
The United States has been for years supporting militias against Damascus, and the US-backed forces are currently occupying parts of the provinces of Al-Haskah, Deir Ezzor, and Raqqa, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located.
The actions carried out by the United States constitute state piracy with the aim of plundering Syria’s oil resources and depriving the Syrians of their own resources amid a harsh economic situation caused largely by the occupiers, the Americans themselves.
In late July, a convoy of 35 vehicles with tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil that the US occupation forces control, as well as several covered trucks, traveled through the unauthorized Al-Mahmudiyah crossing, which was allocated by the US occupation forces more than two years ago to steal Syrian oil, one day after they smuggled 14 tankers loaded with Syrian oil.
News sources reported that the US occupation’s military base of al-Tanf, located along the Iraqi-Syrian border, was targeted by drones on Monday morning.
An Iraqi security source said that the operation was carried out by the Iraqi Resistance drone unit.
The source emphasized that the Iraqi Resistance targeted the US base in al-Tanf using several explosive-laden drones.
No further information has yet been published regarding the possible number of casualties and damages caused by the operation.
This is not the first time that this US occupation base has been targeted.
الضغوط التي تتعرض لها حركة حماس من جهات فلسطينية أو عربية أو دولية تكاد تكون الأولى من نوعها في تاريخ الحركة. ورغم أن التنظيم الإسلامي الفلسطيني لم يكن بعيداً عن التأثيرات السلبية لانهيار تجربة الإخوان المسلمين في الحكم في عدد من الدول العربية، إلا أن تثبيت حماس قاعدة تفكيرها ونشاطها وبرنامجها على أساس أولوية المقاومة ضد الاحتلال، ساعدها على البقاء في قلب المشهد، وفتح لها الأبواب لترميم شبكة واسعة من العلاقات العربية والإسلامية وحتى الدولية من باب المقاومة.
في السنوات العشر الماضية، غرقت الحركة في موجة من المواقف السياسية التي أدت الى تضرّر صورتها كحركة مقاومة. ومثلما تعرّض حزب الله في لبنان لحملة بسبب وقوفه الى جانب الدولة السورية في مواجهة الحرب عليها، تعرضت حماس لحملة من التيار المقابل، واتُّهمت بمجاراة برنامج الإخوان المسلمين الهادف الى الاستيلاء على الحكم في عدد من الدول العربية، حتى إن قواعد من الحركة دعمت الحروب الأهلية التي وقعت في أكثر من بلد عربي؛ منها سوريا. لكنّ تبدلاً جدياً طرأ منذ ما بعد حرب عام 2014، وتطور الأمر بعد انتخاب قيادة جديدة للحركة عام 2017. وبعد استرداد كتائب القسام المبادرة وجعل الأولوية المطلقة للمقاومة، بدا أن الحركة تتقدم خطوات سريعة باتجاه الخروج نهائياً من دائرة التجاذبات حيال ما يجري داخل كل دولة عربية، وهو ما سهّل لها استئناف التواصل مع مصر ومع حكومات عربية أخرى في بلاد الشام أو الخليج أو المغرب العربي. ورغم أن تركيا سهّلت للحركة إقامة مريحة لقيادتها السياسية، إلا أن حماس بدت أكثر تصميماً على الانخراط في الجبهة التي تعدّ المقاومة خياراً وحيداً وإلزامياً ومجدياً لتحقيق التحرير.
سيكون محور المقاومة أمام وقائع جديدة بعد التفاهمات التي توصّل إليها هنيّة ونصر الله
خلال العامين الماضيين، تقدمت حماس خطوات كبيرة الى الأمام في سياق التموضع ضمن محور المقاومة. وجاءت معركة سيف القدس لتختبر التفاعل العملاني مع القوى الأساسية في المحور. وأظهرت تطورات الأشهر القليلة الماضية أن السعي الأميركي – الإسرائيلي – السعودي – الإماراتي لبناء جبهة سياسية واقتصادية وأمنية وإعلامية تعمل على مواجهة محور المقاومة، أن على حماس تعزيز خيارها وموقعها داخل محور المقاومة. وهي اتخذت قرارات كبيرة، لا تدخلها في صدام مع أحد، وخصوصاً مع تركيا وقطر، ولكن لا تمنعها من تعزيز علاقتها مع قوى المقاومة بدءاً بإيران، وصولاً الى حزب الله في لبنان وأنصار الله في اليمن، وحتى إطلاق اتصالات أولية مع فصائل المقاومة في العراق. ولكن الخطوة الأهم تمثلت في قرار المكتب السياسي استئناف العلاقة مع سوريا، وإفساح المجال أمام الوسطاء الذين ينشطون بين القيادة السورية وقيادة حماس للتقدم أكثر صوب تحقيق المصالحة التي تقول قيادة الحركة إنها تحتاج إليها من أجل تعزيز المقاومة.
حماس اليوم أمام تحديات جديدة. وكلما زاد تمسكها بخيار المقاومة، ستجد أنها أكثر ثباتاً داخل فلسطين وأكثر حضوراً وفعالية في المنطقة العربية، وسيكون محور المقاومة أمام وقائع جديدة بعد الزيارة الأخيرة لرئيس الحركة إسماعيل هنية لبيروت وطبيعة المناقشات والتفاهمات التي توصّل إليها مع الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصر الله بعد سلسلة من اللقاءات بينهما…
Iraqi resistance group Harakat Hezbollah Nujaba (HHN) has threatened to target Israeli and US positions in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region (IKR).
In a statement published by the Sabereen News media outlet, the leader of the group, Akram al-Kaabi, said: “By hosting the US military bases and the positions of the Mossad, leaders of the Iraqi Kurdistan region have not only compromised the security of the northern Iraqi people but have also turned the area, infested with spies and occupying forces, into a legitimate target for Iraqi resistance groups.”
The statement was accompanied by a caricature showing the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, with two crows marked as Israel and the US sitting on his head, while he invites other evil crows to his sphere of influence.
It also depicted the commander of the Nujaba resistance movement ordering his forces to smash the nests of crows perched atop Barzani’s head.
The HHN, also known as the 12th Brigade, is a Shia resistance group affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi.
Last December, Iraqi lawmaker Ali al-Fatlawi said resistance groups could legitimately force US-occupation troops to withdraw from the country.
He added that the withdrawal of foreign occupation troops from Iraq was “non-negotiable,” as in early 2020 parliament passed a resolution calling for the full withdrawal of the occupying forces in the wake of the US assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and PMU deputy leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes.
In March of this year, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a precision missile strike against a Mossad base in the city of Erbil.
Speaking exclusively to The Cradle, a senior Iranian security source revealed that three Mossad agents were killed during the strike.
In another exclusive, the official spokesman of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party’s Erbil office, Azad Jolla, confirmed that the Israeli spy agency Mossad has long been active in the capital of the IKR.
US soldiers speak to families in rural Anbar, western Iraq. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Susannah George, File)
US military convoys have come under attack by unknown militant groups in several Iraqi cities, according to a 15 May report by Mehr News Agency.
Citing local sources, the report states that three US military logistics convoys came under attack in the Iraqi cities of Al Diwaniyah and Samawah.
There have been no reports about the details of the damages, casualties, nor of any groups claiming responsibility for the attacks.
Another attack on a US military convoy, also in Al Diwaniyah, was reported by Sabereen News on 11 May.
Attacks on US forces in Iraq have seen an uptick in recent months after Baghdad’s failure to implement a law passed by parliament to expel foreign occupation forces from the country.
The vote came in the days following the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Qassem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) deputy-chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in 2020.
Roadside bombs have also recently targeted US forces in Dhi Qar and Anbar.
Iraqi resistance groups have pledged to only lay down their arms after the full withdrawal of US forces in Iraq.
Recently, US troops stationed at Harir Air Base in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) opened fire on a number of houses and one car in Erbil’s Basrma district on 9 May.
The Governor of Basrma, Jangawar Azhgayi, told Rudaw that US troops were conducting drills when the accident happened. He also confirmed that no casualties were reported.
A video released by Telegram news channel Sabereen News on 28 April allegedly showed the transfer of ISIS fighters by two US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters inside Iraq.
Over the years, US occupation forces in Iraq and Syria have faced several accusations of collaborating with the Takfiri armed group, despite claims to the contrary.
In August 2017, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported seeing US choppers transporting ISIS fighters in and out of the city of Deir Ezzor multiple times.
“The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that a new airdrop was carried out in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, by the forces of the International Coalition … reliable sources confirmed to the [SOHR] that the International Coalition transported members of the ‘Islamic State’ organization.”
The Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah [Brigades] resistance movement said the presence of operatives affiliated to the ‘Israeli’ spy agency Mossad in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region will drag the Arab country into a military confrontation.
Speaking in an interview with Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV network, the resistance group’s spokesman Jafar al-Husseini warned against attempts aimed at turning Iraq into a launchpad for attacks on regional countries and stated that such bids will exacerbate the existing tensions.
He noted there is substantial evidence that ‘Israeli’ operatives are freely active in the Kurdistan region, and that the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] exports crude oil to the ‘Israeli’-occupied territories.
The spokesman of Kataib Hezbollah, part of the Popular Mobilization Units [PMU] or better known by Arabic name of Hashd al-Shaabi, underscored that the Palestinian cause remains a cornerstone of Iraqi resistance groups’ doctrine, stating that the forces are coordinating with their Palestinian and Lebanese comrades.
Husseini went on to say that Iraqi resistance forces are on the great march of progress and are expanding their capabilities to defend the country’s airspace.
Last week, the spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard [IRG] said the elite military force will not hesitate to strike other Zionist bases in the Iraqi Kurdistan region if its officials do not dismantle them.
“It is our natural right to destroy any base from which any attack is carried out against the security of Iran and this is a red line” for us, Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif told Yemen’s al-Masirah network on March 17.
According to Sharif, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi had on several occasions warned the Iraqi Kurdistan region about the presence of the Mossad base, which was recently attacked by the IRG, and two other similar bases.
“If Iraqi officials do not take action to remove other bases of Zionists in this country while our security continues to be threatened from this region, we will respond without hesitation,” the IRG’s spokesman added.
Days earlier, the Iranian ambassador to Iraq had said the latest IRG missile strike on secret Mossad bases in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region was strictly necessary, as operations against Iran’s security were being plotted and orchestrated there.
Masjedi said ‘Israeli’ operatives used the Iraqi Kurdistan region to plot and launch operations against Iran’s security, emphasizing that Iranian officials had time and again warned the KRG authorities against their activities, but to no avail.
The Iranian diplomat highlighted that the missile attack was carried out in order to safeguard Iran’s security, “and was neither intended to violate Iraq’s sovereignty nor was meant to insult the Arab country and its nation.”
In the early hours of March 13, a dozen ballistic missiles hit secret Mossad bases in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, reportedly leaving several Zionist operatives dead.
In a statement issued later in the day, the IRG indicated that the operation was in response to a recent ‘Israeli’ airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus, in which two IRG officers were martyred.
The IRG identified the two officers as colonels Ehsan Karbalaipour and Morteza Saeidnejad, warning that the Tel Aviv regime would pay for this crime.
Posted on February 2, 2022 by uprootedpalestinians
The Turkish army has recently targeted several Kurdish sites in Syria and Iraq, a move Iraqi resistance leader Qais al-Khazali says is a ‘breach of Iraqi sovereignty’
File photo showing a Turkish military helicopter over a mountain in Yemisli, Hakkari province near the border with Iraq. (Photo credit: AFP/Mustafa Ozer)
Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Iraqi resistance group Asaib al-Haq has strongly condemned Turkish raids on northern Iraq and Syria on in a Tweet 1 February.
In his post, he slammed Ankara’s “violation” of Iraq’s territorial “sovereignty” saying that Turkey “targets civilians under its pretext” of fighting Kurdish forces.
Al-Khazali also warned that “the time will come when the resistance of Iraq” will teach Turkey “harsh lessons.”
Al-Khazali’s statements came just hours before Turkey launched operation “Winter Eagle,” aimed at striking Kurdish targets in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.
On 2 February the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that, at an unspecified time overnight, its warplanes had struck alleged “terror dens” in Derik, northern Syria, and Sinjar, and Karacak, located in northern Iraq.
In a statement published via Twitter, the Turkish defense ministry added that the sites “were used as bases by terrorists in northern Iraq and Syria.”
Al-Mayadeen cited Iraqi security sources as saying that Turkish warplanes flew over Makhmour, east of Mosul, where explosions were soon heard north of Sinjar in the Bara region.
The Turkish statement also added that its air raids targeted the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, both organizations considered terrorist groups by Ankara.
Meanwhile, the Kurdish Counterterrorism Agency in Iraq announced that, late on 1 February, Turkish warplanes “bombed a site in which there were fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Mount Karacho, and bombed two other sites of these militants in the Suhaila borders in Syrian territory (Muldreza), and two other sites in Mount Shingal, and Baray Hasanur in Syria.”
The statement added that the bombings by Turkey produced several casualties and material damage.
Al-Khazali had said on 30 August 2020 that “as long as the occupation exists […] the resistance’s weapons are legitimate” vowing that the Iraqi resistance alone will expel forces of occupation.
Ankara currently maintains 38 illegal bases in northern Iraq, aimed at creating a 40-kilometer wide security belt in northern Iraq.
A senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says ex-US President Donald Trump, who ordered the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and his other partners in crime won’t be out of harm’s way.
At a ceremony on Tuesday marking the martyrdom anniversary of his predecessor, Esmail Qa’ani, who heads the IRGC’s Quds Force, said Iran is determined to avenge General Soleimani’s blood “in its own style.”
“Criminal Trump and his overt and covert partners, such as [his foreign minister] Pompeo are known to us. Martyr Soleimani had repeatedly humiliated Pompeo in the region and they thought they had achieved a victory by assassinating him,” he said.
Nevertheless, Trump and his other partners remain “under the magnifying glass” and they will not be safe, he added.
Addressing the Americans, Qa’ani said, “You imagined that you hit and ran, but the Islamic society and the world’s freedom-seekers will take revenge in a way that you won’t forget as long as you’re alive,” he said.
In the wake of Gen. Soleimani’s murder, Iran and other regional nations were seeking the US withdrawal from the region, Qa’ani said. Something worse, however, happened to the Americans and they were instead expelled.
He added that the people of Iraq, where Gen. Soleimani was targeted in a drone strike in early 2020, and the country’s resistance forces will not tolerate the presence of the remaining 2,000 US troops on their soil.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi called on the UN Security Council to make the US and Israel account for plotting and performing assassination of anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
“Given the dire implications of this terrorist act on international peace and security, the Security Council must live up to its Charter-based responsibilities and hold the United States and the Israeli regime to account for planning, supporting and committing that terrorist act,” Takht Ravanchi said in a letter to President of the UN Security Council Mona Juul on Sunday.
“Concurrent with the second anniversary of the horrific assassination of Martyr Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – an official branch of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran – and his companions, on 3 January 2020 at Baghdad International Airport, at the direct order of the then President of the United States, I would like to bring to your attention the recent information concerning the involvement of the Israeli regime in this heinous terrorist act,” he added.
Takht Ravanchi said that in a recent interview, the former military intelligence chief of the Israeli regime admitted the involvement of the Israeli regime in the premeditated assassination of Martyr Soleimani, stating that the “Israeli intelligence played a part” in that assassination, and described it as “an achievement” and one of the two significant and important assassinations during his term.
“As I have on numerous occasions underlined, including in my letters dated 3 January 2020 (S/2020/13), 7 January 2020 (S/2020/16) and 29 January 2020 (S/2020/81) addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, this internationally wrongful criminal act was a grave breach of the obligations of the United States under international law, thus entails its international responsibility,” he said.
Takht Ravanchi noted that the criminal act also entails the criminal responsibility of all those who had aided, abetted or otherwise assisted and supported, by any means, directly or indirectly, the planning or perpetration of this terrorist act, the clear example of which is the supportive role and the involvement of the Israeli regime in it.
He underlined that martyr Soleimani played a significant role in combatting international terrorism and accordingly was rightfully given the title of the Hero of the Fight against Terrorism and the General of Peace, and therefore his cowardly assassination was a big gift and service to Daesh (ISIL) and other Security Council designated terrorist groups in the region who welcomed his assassination, calling it “an act of divine intervention that benefitted” them.
“Given the dire implications of this terrorist act on international peace and security, the Security Council must live up to its Charter-based responsibilities and hold the United States and the Israeli regime to account for planning, supporting and committing that terrorist act.”
“In line with our rights and obligations under international law, the Iranian armed forces are determined to vigorously continue Martyr Soleimani’s path in actively assisting regional nations and governments, upon their requests, to combat foreign-backed terrorist groups in the region until they are uprooted completely,” the Iranian envoy concluded.
Former Commander of the IRGC Qods Force Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU, and ten of their deputies were martyred by an armed drone strike as their convoy left Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. The attack was ordered by then US President Donald Trump.
To date, Iran’s chief civilian prosecutor has indicted tens of individuals in connection with the assassination, among them former president Trump, the head of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., and former US Secretaries of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper.
The file remains open to the further addition of individuals that Tehran determines to have played a role in the killing.
Both commanders were highly popular because of their key role in fighting against the ISIL terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Back in January 2020, two days after the assassination, the Iraqi parliament passed a law requiring the Iraqi government to end the presence of the US-led foreign forces in the Arab country.
Last year, Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement on ending the presence of all US combat troops in Iraq by the end of 2021.
The US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq this month, but resistance forces remain bent on expelling all American forces, including those who have stayed in the country on the pretext of training Iraqi forces or playing an advisory role.
Since the assassination, Iraqi resistance forces have ramped up pressure on the US military to leave their country, targeting American bases and forces on numerous occasions, at one point pushing the Americans to ask them to “just leave us alone”.
Iran and Iraq in a joint statement earlier this month underlined their determination to identify, prosecute and punish the culprits behind the assassination of General Soleimani and al-Muhandis.
Iran and Iraq have issued a joint statement on an investigation into the “criminal and terrorist” assassination by the US of top anti-terror commanders of the two countries in Baghdad in 2020, Iranian Judiciary Deputy Chief and Secretary-General of Iran’s Human Rights Headquarters Kazzem Qaribabadi said.
He added that the statement was issued during the second session of a joint Iran-Iraq committee investigating the murder of General Soleimani and al-Muhandis.
Qaribabadi said that in the statement, Iran and Iraq stressed that the assassinations were a “violation of the rules of international law, including relevant international conventions on the fight against terrorism”.
A logistical support convoy belonging to the US occupation forces has been targeted in Dhi Qar Governorate, southern Iraq.
A logistical support convoy belonging to the US occupation forces in Iraq
Al Mayadeen correspondent reported early Sunday that a logistical support convoy belonging to the US occupation forces in Iraq have been targeted.
Our correspondent indicated that the Companions of the Cave (Aṣḥab al-Kahf) brigade directly targeted the convoy in Dhi Qar Governorate, southern Iraq.
Just after midnight,the "Companions of the cave", the Iraqi resistance, claimed its responsibility for targeting a #US convoy in Dhi-Qar #ذي_قار governorate, south of #Iraq. Many Iraqi groups warned it will consider all US forces as occupiers after 31/12/2021 if they don't leave pic.twitter.com/Ca10gWcclQ
The Iraqi Resistance factions have threatened to target US forces and interests in Iraq if they did not withdraw from the country, following the US’ announcement that its troops will “continue to assist the Iraqi government in an advisory role.”
US bluffing about withdrawal
Earlier, the Coordination Committee of the Iraqi Resistance issued a statement saying that the US forces are not serious in implementing the “Iraqi people’s demand to abide by the parliament’s decision ruling their withdrawal from Iraq.”
The Iraqi resistance considered that it had maintained “the utmost discipline and patience throughout the period granted to the US forces.” It says it perceives indications that the “evil administration insists on keeping its occupying forces in the same bases.”
It stressed that the US dream of its occupation soldiers and their bases enjoying peace “will never come true,” stressing that it will work to compel these forces to leave “defeated and humiliated.”
The Iraqi resistance affirmed that “peoples’ defense of their homelands is an unquestioned right and a moral and national duty.”
It is noteworthy that the Iraqi parliament voted on January 5, 2020, to end the presence of any foreign forces on its soil, after the US air attack that led to the death of the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolution’s Guard Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani, and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Authority Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, and their companions.
Some Iraqi forces and parties are suspicious of the international coalition’s announcement to have finalized the withdrawal by December 31, 2021, which many viewed as a “mock announcement” to relieve pressure on the government in Baghdad.
On July 26, Baghdad and Washington agreed to withdraw all combat forces of the international coalition led by the US by the end of last year.
As the second anniversary of the martyrdom of the two commanders Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis draws near, popular marches were organized in Baghdad demanding the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
From today’s marches in Baghdad
Iraq’s capital of Baghdad witnessed on Saturday popular marches as the anniversary of the martyrdom of commanders Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis draws near.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that the head of the chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Faleh al-Fayyad, the leader of the Fath coalition Hadi al-Amiri, and a number of different resistance factions and Iraqi dignitaries took part in the marches.
Al-Fayyad said during a speech that the withdrawal of US and foreign forces is a guarantee so that Iraq can lead a dignified life. He asked the Iraqi government to perform its duties by executing the withdrawal so that Iraq would be emptied of foreign forces, stressing that foreign presence will not be good for Iraqis, especially with regards to peaceful coexistence.
Al-Amiri: This school of resistance and steadfastness must take root
The speech of the head of the Al-Fateh Alliance Hadi Al-Amiri on the anniversary of the Baghdad airport incident
For his part, the head of the Fath coalition Hadi al-Amiri said that martyrs Soleimani and Al-Muhandis led the march of liberating Iraqi from ISIS, adding that the school of resistance and steadfastness must be allowed to take root, and Iraq should not stray from this path.
Al-Amiri noted that the price of this blood will be the withdrawal of occupying forces from Iraq, and nothing less than their complete withdrawal will be accepted.
The head of Iraq’s Iraqi Scholars union, Sheikh Khaled al-Mulla, said that Iraqis were victorious against ISIS thanks to the fatwa of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the sacrifices of the martyrs, and the help of Iran.
Khazali: The blood of the two martyrs created a great nation in Iraq
The Secretary-General of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, Qais Khazali, said that the blood of the two martyrs produced a great nation in Iraq, from its north to its south, adding that revenge for their blood would happen by forcing out US forces from the region.
Khazali also addressed the US saying that they should have well understood the lessons delivered by the heroes of Iraq’s resistance, highlighting that if they are in need of more lessons, then the resistance and the PMF are ready to give them.
The resistance and the PMF, he said, addressing the US “will force you out in humiliation just as they did in 2012.”
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The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Commission [IRCC] said the United States is not serious about leaving the Arab country, stressing that the American dream that its troops will be at peace in Iraq is a mere “illusion” that will never come true.
“It becomes clearer to us every day that the occupying forces of the United States are not serious in fulfilling the demand of our dear nation to implement the Iraqi parliament’s bill regarding their withdrawal,” the IRCC said in a statement on Tuesday.
It was making a reference to a bill that was passed into law on January 3, 2020 by the Iraqi parliament requiring the Iraqi government to end the presence of the US-led foreign forces in the country.
The bill came two days after the US assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, near the Baghdad International Airport. Soleimani’s companions, including the deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units [PMU] Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were also martyred in the operation.
The statement said the Iraqi resistance groups have waited so far so as to give yet another chance to the American forces to leave the country as demanded by the law.
It called on the government to fulfill its duty of expelling the occupying forces from Iraq, but added that it seems the US insists on maintaining its occupying troops in the Arab country.
The US, according to the statement, intends to retain its forces in the current bases and also take control of Iraqi airspace in order to spy on areas that are bereft of the Daesh [Arabic for ‘ISIS/ISIL’] terrorists.
“The US dream that its occupying soldiers will feel at ease and that their bases will be in peace and stability in Iraq is an illusion that will never come true,” the IRCC emphasized.
Iraq’s anti-terror Hezbollah al-Nujaba Movement dismissed the US claims about its occupation forces ending their combat mission in the Arab country, stressing that Washington cannot be trusted and that resistance groups will continue their struggle until all American occupation forces leave.
“American forces cannot be identified as anything other than occupiers if they do not withdraw by the end of the current year. We express our support for the groups that are mounting resistance against the occupying US forces,” Nujaba spokesman, Nasr al-Shammari, told Beirut-based al-Mayadeen network on Thursday evening.
The spokesman of the group that is part of the Popular Mobilization Units [PMU], better known by the Arabic name as Hashd al-Shaabi, termed retaliatory attacks against US troops in Iraq as “a great honor”, saying, “We announce alliance with the groups that are targeting American forces.”
“The deadline for the withdrawal of occupying forces is winding up, and must be fully implemented. The resistance front will never face again the challenges it confronted between 2003 and 2011. The bloc is now stronger than ever,” Shammari pointed out.
“The main weapon in the hands of resistance fighters is their beliefs. This is something which they cannot separate the combatants from,” he said.
Meanwhile, Qassim al-Araji, Iraq’s national security adviser, said on Thursday that a final round of technical talks to formally end the US-led combat mission, which was purportedly formed to fight Daesh [the Arabic acronym for ‘ISIS/ISIL’ terrorist group], had concluded.
“We are officially announcing the end of the coalition forces’ combat mission,” al-Araji wrote on Twitter, adding that the coalition would continue providing assistance, advice and training to Iraqi forces.
There are about 2,500 US soldiers and another 1,000 coalition troopers currently based in Iraq. It is unclear how many will remain in the next phase of deployment in Iraq.
Earlier in the day, Secretary-General of al-Nujaba Movement Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi reiterated the resistance group’s readiness to fight US forces if they refuse to pull out of Iraq.
American occupation forces will pay dearly for their massacres of Iraqi people and distinguished figures, Kaabi said, stressing, “The United States will continue to be viewed as an enemy even after the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq.”
He pointed out that the United States has “formed many proxies to pursue its own interests inside Iraq. The fight against them is a legitimate and national duty. The occupation only understands the language of armed struggle.”
Kaabi also stressed that Washington does not respect Iraq’s sovereignty and does not recognize the authority of the Iraqi side it is negotiating with.
He said the statements of US officials “indicate that American forces will not withdraw from Iraq.”
The al-Nujaba chief also dismissed any disarmament of the Iraqi resistance groups that stood up against Daesh despite their limited capabilities at the time.
“How can we talk about disarming the resistance in a country that is still occupied?” he questioned.
Kaabi said Iraqi resistance fighters have turned into “a nightmare for the US and ‘Israel’ which are making any effort in order to disarm them.”
The weapons of the resistance groups “will safeguard the Iraqi nation, and cannot be taken away from them by any means,” he also noted.
The Iraqi people’s objective of regaining their sovereignty from the US occupation will be reached only through gun barrels, said Iraqi resistance group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Secretary General Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi.
“The Iraqi nation’s decision to restore their sovereignty will be implemented only through the barrels of a gun whose roaring sound will save Iraq from the clutches of the occupier,” al-Kaabi said in a statement published via his Twitter account.
The Iraqi resistance commander also noted that the occupiers have looted Iraq’s resources and blatantly interfered in the country’s affairs to foment unrest.
Condemning the continued US occupation of Iraq, he stressed that despite the Iraqi government’s declaration of a deadline for American forces to leave Iraq in late December of the current year, nothing has happened toward that end.
Back in July, US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi declared that the US mission in Iraq will transition from combat to “advisory” role by the end of the year.
“The delegations decided, following recent technical talks, that the security relationship will fully transition to a training, advising, assisting, and intelligence-sharing role, and that there will be no US forces with a combat role in Iraq by December 31, 2021,” Baghdad and Washington said in a joint statement on July 26.
The agreement, which has effectively given a mere new name to the US military occupation in Iraq, has enraged Iraqi resistance groups, which have played a significant role in defeating Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] in Iraq in 2017.
“The evil US government, through its bullying, arrogance, and disrespect, continues to oppose the decision of the Iraqi people, and demonstrations by millions of [Iraqi] people [are] to expel all foreign forces from the country,” al-Kaabi said.
“The information we receive shows us that the occupying forces have changed some of their illegal routes to enter Iraq,” he said, explaining that they enter Iraq en masse through airliners from Egypt.
The Nujaba SG also said some of the US’ defeated forces in Afghanistan have been already transferred to Iraq.
“This means that the political negotiations with the evil United States have once again proved to be a failure,” he added.
Iraqi resistance groups have persistently demanded the withdrawal of all American forces from the Arab country over their destabilizing activities.
The demand is in line with a law adopted by the parliament in January 2020 in the aftermath of the US military’s assassination of two key commanders of the fight against Daesh, namely Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraq’s Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in Baghdad on January 3 of that year.
Two military logistics convoys belonging to the US occupation forces in Iraq were targeted in the provinces of Babil and Baghdad.
News sources reported Wednesday morning that a US military logistics convoy was targeted in Babil province. A group called ‘Ashab al-Kahf’ [The Companions of the Cave] claimed responsibility for the operation.
Another US occupation military logistics convoy was also targeted in Baghdad’s al-Yusufiya district. ‘Ashab al-Kahf’ also claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group has repeatedly claimed responsibility for operations targeting US occupation convoys.
Similar operations against US occupation troops in Iraq have been increasing in the past months.
Anti-US sentiments have been running high in Iraq since Washington assassinated top Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and the second-in-command of the Iraqi popular mobilization units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January last year.
Following the assassination, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops.
Many Iraqi groups consider the US forces present in the country as occupiers and emphasize the immediate withdrawal of these forces from their territory.
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Informed sources reported that five US occupation logistics convoys were targeted in Iraq by Tuesday noon.
The Saberin News reported on Tuesday that two other US Army logistics convoys had been targeted in Iraq’s al-Diwaniyah province.
Shortly after the news broke, media sources reported that a US logistics convoy had been targeted in the Nile area of Babil province.
This is while, less than two hours ago, media sources reported that two US logistics convoys were targeted in the provinces of Al-Muthanna and Dhi Qar. The first convoy was attacked in Al-Nasiriyah and the second in Al-Samawa.
According to media sources, a group called ‘Qasim Al-Jabarin’ claimed responsibility for these attacks.
In recent days, Iraqi sources have reported the targeting of several US convoys in various parts across Iraq.
In recent months, convoys carrying logistics equipment for US occupation troops stationed at various military bases in Iraq have been targeted by roadside bombs. These convoys enter Iraq mainly from the Syrian border in the west or the Kuwaiti border in the south.
Many Iraqi groups consider the US forces present in the country as occupiers and emphasize the immediate withdrawal of these forces from their territory.
Beirut – Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gave a televised speech on the 10th of Muharram to commemorate Ashura.
During his speech on Thursday, Sayyed Nasrallah tackled various local and regional issues, notably the fuel crisis in Lebanon and the US defeat in Afghanistan.
His Eminence began his speech by offering his heartfelt condolences to the Islamic nation as well as its Leader His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei on the martyrdom of Imam Hussein [AS].
First and foremost, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed, “The top of our priorities is facing the Zionist entity occupying Palestine and some lands in Syria and Lebanon,” and asserted that “Our firm and endless position is to support Palestinians in their right to return their land from the sea to the river despite all pressures and normalization attempts”.
“We are looking forward to the day when the Zionist invaders will leave Palestine, because this is the end of all invaders,” His Eminence said.
The SG called on the protection of the religious sites and said, “To confront the threats that Al-Quds and its holy sites are facing, we urge the establishment and afforming a regional equation that protects these holy sites”.
“We call for making the protection of the holy sites the task of the entire Resistance Axis, not just the Palestinian sites,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
Moving to Iraq, Sayyed Nasrallah renewed Hezbollah’s thanks to the Iraqi factions for expressing their readiness to protect the holy sites in Palestine.
The SG hailed the cooperation among the Resistance forces in the region alongside the resistance in Palestine and stated that this cooperation “will increase the hope in liberating Palestine”.
Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted what the United States represents to the world and explained, “The successive US administrations represent the head of tyranny and injustice in the world”.
His Eminence assured that the “Sovereignty in our region over its resources, water, oil and land must be to its peoples and countries”.
Sayyed Nasrallah also noted that, “After the American defeat in Afghanistan, eyes are focused on the US occupation in Iraq and Syria”.
His Eminence further said, “The Zionists fear any Iraqi role in any grand war,” highlighting that, “Iraq has decided that the US combat forces should leave its soil at the end of the year, and this is an important issue on the way of achieving Iraqi sovereignty”.
“The Iraqis should take into consideration the issue of American advisors by looking at the experience of Afghanistan,” the SG added.
Sayyed Nasrallah also explained, “What constitutes a real guarantee for Iraq in the face of Daesh [Arabic acronym for ‘ISIS’ / ‘ISIL’] and the Takfiris is the Hashd Shaabi [PMU]”.
“The Hashd Shaabi resembles one of the greatest manifestations and embodiments of the response to the fatwa [a ruling on a point of Islamic law given] of the religious authority in Holy Najaf ,” His Eminence stated.
The Resistance leader has a firm stance regarding the American presence in the Middle East, vying for their withdrawal, “The US forces must leave the Tanaf area [in Syria], because there are no Daesh forces there”.
In a parallel notion, “The Hashd Shaabi must be strengthened, because it is a great guarantee for Iraq,” Sayyed Nasrallah asserted, warning that “US forces facilitate the development of Daesh and help it move from one region to another”.
“The American forces must leave east of the Euphrates, and the goal of their presence is to steal the Syrian oil,” the SG said, adding that “the fate of the American occupiers in Syria is to leave so that the land and its oil will return to Syria”.
Tackling the war on Yemen, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “The US-Saudi aggressive war on Yemen must stop, and this aggression will not be able to achieve its goals”.
“We stand with the oppressed people of Bahrain, who are prevented from expressing their opinion and expressed their readiness to support Palestine,” His Eminence said regarding Bahrain.
“Let no one make wrong calculations,” the Resistance leader warned, saying that “‘Israel’ is the anxious party these days”.
On the Lebanese arena, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “We reiterate to friends and foes that the Resistance in Lebanon is strong”.
On the issue of the Lebanese government formation, His Eminence called for “the formation of a government in Lebanon and we reject vacuum”.
Sayyed Nasrallah added, “We wait for the results of the meetings between President of the Republic and the Prime Minister-designate over the government’s formation”.
“We believe more than ever in the correctness of our decision, in the resistance, and that we’re close to victory,” the SG announced.
However, His Eminence cautioned, “There are those inside and outside who are trying to hold us responsible for the failure to form the government, and this is not true,” adding, “Some accuse us of not exerting enough pressures on our allies and friends, but this is meaningless”.
Regarding the fuel crisis Lebanon is facing, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “Our first ship will sail from Iran within hours, carrying the needed material, and we give priority to the fuel”.
His Eminence assured, “More ships will also come from Iran, not only this ship”.
On this issue, Sayyed Nasrallah issued a firm warning to the Americans and “Israelis”, “The ship that will sail in a few hours will be from the first moment a Lebanese territory”.
Sayyed Nasrallah also said, “Whoever imposed this decision on us is the one who imposed the economic war on us”.
Elijah J. Magnier From the Levant to the Persian Gulf, a land route is now open, and the Axis of Resistance controls those borders crossings. Photo credit: The Cradle
Many wars have been waged in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine to defeat the “Axis of Resistance” or to at least deplete its logistics and supply lines. In all wars, tons of ammunition, bombs, and missiles are expended on both sides, often exhausting supplies. Each belligerent, therefore, needs to replenish its arsenal for the next confrontation, or at the very minimum, to demonstrate to the enemy its growing military capabilities, preparedness, and access to vital supplies. Most of the time, this is a valuable deterrent strategy used to avoid wars. However, because the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon and the subsequent US occupation of Iraq and eastern Syria failed to achieve the desired US-Israeli objectives, the goal shifted heavily toward obstructing their supply lines: to cut off the Axis of Resistance road.
The aim was to stop Resistance Axis members (Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi resistance groups) from re-arming themselves, and to prevent their access to weapons upgrades in advance of the next military confrontation. There began a race between the US-Israeli alliance and the Resistance Axis to control the accessibility of the vital Tehran-Beirut landline. This objective was reached first by the Resistance Axis, who liberated the Albu Kamal-al Qaem crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border and placed it firmly under their control. Ever since, this crossing has also become a hub for critical commercial and consumer supplies whose flow the US has tried to halt by imposing harsh sanctions on Iran and Syria to prevent Iraq from providing any support. Rather, the US tried, but failed.
This significant American defeat, however, was not blared from rooftops, either by the US or by its adversaries. It is sufficient for the Resistance Axis that anything and everything they wish to transport via Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, reaches its destination, unhindered.
Traveling from the Syrian town of Qusayr, on Lebanon’s border, to Palmyra (Tadmur) is safe despite the dozens of checkpoints along the road. The Syrian Army controls the area and prevents anyone from traveling between provinces without valid documentation. Many Syrians from these provinces fled to secure areas to escape ISIS rule, and have since been trickling back to inspect their abandoned homes and resettle. Syria’s Badiyah has also become relatively safe following months of indiscriminate attacks by ISIS remnants against travelers. According to security officers, most of the ISIS militants were inhabitants of the area and its surroundings, and fled when ISIS was defeated by Syrian allied forces in 2017 and 2018.
Since then, special security brigades have been deployed from Palmyra to Deir Ezzor, while others continue to patrol the Syrian steppe to hunt down ISIS militants. However, it is still unsafe to travel through the Badiyah, and the main road used is via Sukhnah, Kabajeb, Asholah, and Deir Ezzor. From Deir Ezzor to the Iraqi border, the route via al Mayadeen, al Salehiya, and Albu Kamal is safe and well protected.
When the decision was made to clear the road and eliminate ISIS in the cities east of the Euphrates River, the Syrian Army and its allies attempted to free the al-Tanf border region with Iraq. US jets intervened, attacked the brigades, causing more than 50 casualties to prevent the defeat of ISIS targets. The Resistance Axis’ joint military operating room understood that the US plan was to cut off Syria from its neighbors, since its borders with Jordan were already closed.
Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Brigade – later, assassinated by US drones near Baghdad airport in 2020 – personally took part in the assault on al Mayadeen and Albu Kamal, even before the liberation of Deir Ezzor. Soleimani wanted to reach and control the Syrian-Iraqi borders before the Americans, fearing the US establishment of a “no man’s land” to prevent free passage between Iraq and Syria.
Syrian Druze General Issam Zahreddine – later, killed by a mine after defeating ISIS in Deir Ezzor – was fighting alongside Hezbollah’s al-Radwan Special Forces, and managed to prevent an ISIS takeover of Deir Ezzor airport and part of the city, notwithstanding intervening US airstrikes that unsuccessfully aimed to enable the ISIS airport breach and killed and wounded over 200 Syrian officers. When the decision was taken to liberate the entire province, Suleimani was not very concerned about the city because Russian-supported Syrian Special Forces (Tiger Brigade) were already crushing ISIS positions there.
Suleimani coordinated his efforts with the Iraqi resistance, hunting down ISIS along the borders between Syria and Iraq’s al Qaem, in order to corner and eliminate the terrorist group on both sides. Following fierce battles, Albu Kamal and al Qaem were liberated – becoming the only border crossing to fall into the hands of the Syrian Army and its allies. Syria was no longer isolated from its surrounding neighbors. The road between Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus, and Beirut was open, and for the first time since the era of Saddam Hussein, in the hands of the Resistance Axis. A sea route is insufficient to transport all the needs of the Axis. This is why it was vital to open the land route at all costs. The US and Israel were aware of the plan but were in no position to stop it.
Driving from Deir Ezzor to Albu Kamal, the Euphrates River offers the sight of rare birds who migrate to this area now that it is no longer heavily frequented. The many abandoned and shell-pocked houses along the route remind passerbys of the ferocity of the battles. Syrian Army checkpoints are strict about preventing visits from anyone who doesn’t live in the province. The Americans control the other side of the river, and the oil and gas wells can be seen from afar with the naked eye.
In the main, ISIS militants were inhabitants of this area too, with foreign jihadists representing only a tiny percentage of the fighters. This is another reason why it is not safe to travel by night. With nightfall, it becomes clear that electricity has not been restored. The sound of only a few private generators can be heard from time to time. During the daytime hours, however, the generator count spikes, as farmers switch them on to pump water for their fields. The area is rich in its agriculture, and despite the US occupation of Syria’s strategic foodbelt province of Hasaka, provides enough wheat to be distributed to provinces beyond Deir Ezzor.
At the gate of Albu Kamal, a large billboard welcomes visitors with the name of the city, a portrait of President Bashar al Assad, and the Syrian national flag. Though incomparable with the old souk markets of Damascus or Aleppo, the local vegetable and fruit market still flourishes and bustles during the day.
Houses are one or two floors high, many with shops underneath. Several private villas adorn the border city. It is impossible to miss a large portrait of Iran’s Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani and Iraq’s PMU Deputy Commander Abu Mahdi al Muhandes, both assassinated by the US in Baghdad in January 2020. The two men contributed to the liberation of Iraq and Syria from ISIS, indeed, mainly Albu Kamal city. Soleimani used one of the private villas as his headquarters when in town, and left a hand-written note to the owner asking him forgiveness for using his house, and leaving his phone number to be contacted in case of need.
Eight kilometers separate Albu Kamal from Al Qaem on the Iraqi borders. The road is crowded with trucks crossing mainly from Iraq, and a few from Syria. Iraq established a border position to allow the flow of goods to Syria, though essentially follows the guidelines of the severe EU-US embargo on Damascus. Not far from the main road controlled by both the Syrian and the Iraqi customs authorities, there is another road where trucks transit between Iran-Iraq into Syria and Lebanon. These trucks are sealed so they won’t be opened on the road, and are verified by the Syrian authorities before they cross into Lebanon. After many years in the making, and dangerous challenges along the way, the Axis of the Resistance has managed to secure its logistic supply route.
Israeli and US forces have targeted the area dozens of times. Warehouses, military bases, and large isolated shops were destroyed last year by Israeli jets, but without managing to slow down the flow of supplies, or the replenishing of goods and structures destroyed by the enemy’s air force. Israel also bombed thousands of cars, trucks, and refrigerators stocked by Iranian donors for the province’s inhabitants to distribute. Iran is earning the loyalty and hearts of the local population by offering another behavior, contrasting starkly with what ISIS made these inhabitants endure through fear and punishment.
It is no secret that the people of Albu Kamal notice the withdrawal of many of the forces stationed in the city. There is no longer a need for a considerable power to be permanently based in Albu Kamal. The Axis of Resistance supply line is still secure. Iran has opened several pathways: Tikrit-Haditha-al Qaem, Baghdad-Ramadi-al Qaem, and Diwaniyeh-Hilla-Fallujah-al Qaem. This means, despite more than a thousand Israeli attacks, neither the commercial exchange between Syria and Iraq-Iran nor the Resistance Axis’ supply line has never once stopped since ISIS’s defeat.
The American military presence at al Tanf border between Iraq and Syria serves no US national interest and represents no danger to Washington, yet it persists to placate a desperate Israel (despite its constant bombing of Syria) that fears being left alone to face the Axis of Resistance. The US is indeed acting only to serve Israeli interests by keeping hundreds of its servicemen occupying and inciting Levant conflict zones.
How long can Israel hang on to this American security blanket? Take note of the sudden US mass exit in Afghanistan. Two decades and a trillion dollars wore Washington down, achieving nothing of the initial objectives it set in 2001. America’s global political and economic clout has shrunk considerably since then. There is reason to believe the same scenario will happen sooner or later in Syria.
Israeli air bombing has never stopped the Axis of Resistance from arming itself and being prepared for Tel Aviv when it decides to wage the next war. Hezbollah managed to stockpile hundreds of precision missiles under the searching eyes of the Israelis without them being able to alter the outcome. The Axis of Resistance has won the battle and cleared its path: the road from Tehran to Beirut is open and secure.
The Iraqi resistance groups targeted by US sanctions said the restrictive measures show that their counter-terrorism campaign poses a challenge to the Americans, stressing that the bans will fail to weaken their resolve to protect the homeland and restore its sovereignty.
The Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah, both subdivisions of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units [PMU], better known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi, said on Tuesday that they would remain impervious to the US sanctions.
A day earlier, the US State Department said it had imposed sanctions on the two Iraqi resistance factions under the so-called Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act [INKSNA], which prohibits arms transfer to those targeted.
Asaib politburo spokesman Mahmoud al-Rubaie told Iraqi al-Ahad news website that the US restrictive measures against resistance groups as “a battle between right and wrong,” saying they represent the extent of the failure that successive US administrations have suffered in the Middle East.
The US sanctions did not catch Asaib by surprise since the group “expects anything from them [the Americans],” he added. “Whatever they do will not affect us because we are strong.”
Rubaie also said that the United States “is concerned about the political presence of the resistance and is therefore seeking a way to escape … Of course, the [Iraqi] government is also weak and cannot counter US pressure.”
Washington wants a “poor Iraq,” where the youths are jobless, he said.
Similarly, Asaib politburo member Ahmad al-Mousavi said that Washington was trying to drive the resistance out of the Iraqi political equation because it had brought about the failure of US schemes in the Arab country.
“US sanctions will not affect the performance of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq and will not remove this resilient Iraqi group from the political scene,” he added.
Mousavi expressed hope that the Iraqi government would take a clear stance on the new US bans, complaining, however, about Baghdad’s silence in the face of US restrictions against resistance groups over the past year.
Meanwhile, the Kaf Telegram channel, a Kataib Hezbollah-affiliate, said, “Let them impose on us whatever sanctions they have at their disposal. It is an honor that we are still a difficult challenge in their calculations.”
“We will continue our path to restoring [Iraqi] sovereignty and dignity by relying on God,” it said.
In early 2003, the US invaded Iraq under the later debunked pretext that the regime of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.
It withdrew soldiers from Iraq between 2007 and 2011, but redeployed them in 2014 along with other partners to allegedly counter the threat of Daesh.
Iraq managed to end the territorial rule of the Takfiri terrorist group in the country thanks to the sacrifices of the national army and Hashd al-Sha’abi, which had the backing of neighboring Iran.
On January 3, 2020, the US assassinated Iran’s anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Hashd al-Sha’abi, two influential figures in the fight against Daesh.
Two days later, the Iraqi parliament unanimously approved a bill, demanding the expulsion of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the Arab country.
Since then, however, Washington has been dragging its feet on the troop pullout and targeting anti-terror groups from time to time.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 