Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq vows to attack US regional bases if Trump decides to enter conflict
An Iran-backed powerful Shiite militia in Iraq vowed on Thursday to attack US military bases in the Middle East if the Trump administration enters the Israel-Iran conflict.
“We reaffirm, with even greater clarity, that should the United States enter into this war, the deranged (US President Donald) Trump shall forfeit all the trillions he dreams of seizing from this region. Operational plans have been established for that purpose,” Abu Ali al-Askari, the security leader of Kataib Hezbollah, said in a statement today.
“Undoubtedly, American bases throughout the region will become akin to duck-hunting grounds,” the statement added.
Al-Askari also threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, as well as the narrow Bab-el-Mandeb waterway leading into the Red Sea from the south. He went on to say that “oil ports along the Red Sea will cease operation — not to mention the unforeseen surprises that may await its aircraft in the skies.”
Hezbollah chief says group stands with Iran
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem has broken his silence, releasing a lengthy statement expressing support for Iran against Israeli attacks and US threats.
He said Trump’s suggestion that the US could assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an “aggression” against all the people of the region.
Despite its deep ties with Iran, Hezbollah has been sitting on the sidelines since the start of the Israeli assault. Weakened by its devastating war with Israel last year, the group has not activated the Lebanese front.
“We, in Hezbollah and the Islamic Resistance, are not neutral between the legitimate and independent rights of Iran and America’s malevolence and its aggression with the cancerous tumour, Israel,” Qassem said.
The statement left the door open for a possible intervention by Hezbollah, saying that the group will do “what it sees appropriate” to confront “this heinous American-Israeli aggression”.
Iranian official suggests Israel’s plan for Iran failed
Senior Iranian official Mohsen Rezaee says Israel aimed to create chaos in the country by killing top military leaders, but the plan was repelled.
“In the next stage, it intended to turn Iran into Syria and plunge it into a 10-year insecurity,” Rezaee said.
