Pentagon confirms strikes against 85 targets in Iraq and Syria

Washington has bombed Iranian-backed militias following a drone strike that killed three American soldiers

US forces have begun a new bombing campaign in the Middle East to punish Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups for a series of drone and missile attacks on American military bases in the region.

Washington’s latest airstrikes began around midnight Baghdad time on Saturday and hit more than 85 targets in Syria and Iraq, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. The operation involved “numerous aircraft,” including long-range bombers flown from the US, which dropped over 125 precision munitions on their targets.

Those targets included command and control centers, intelligence sites, weapons caches, and supply-chain facilities of Iranian-backed militias, as well as “their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against US and coalition forces,” CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iraq and SyriaAt 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces… pic.twitter.com/ZVx2uOQ1qD

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 2, 2024

The bombings follow a series of assaults on American military bases in the Middle East, including a drone attack that killed three American soldiers and wounded more than 40 others at secretive US installation in Jordan. That base, called Tower 22, is located near the Syrian and Iraqi borders.

The attack on Tower 22 was “planned, resourced and facilitated” by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. The group consists of multiple militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, which has launched multiple rocket and drone strikes against US forces in the region since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

Kirby suggested that the US response would be carried out over multiple days. It “won’t just be a one-off,” he said. “As I said, the first thing you see will not be the last thing.” He added that Biden is still trying to avoid a broader war with Iran.

Media reports in recent days raised concern that Biden was telegraphing his plans and giving the militias too much time to take preparatory steps, such as vacating obvious targets. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin tried to deflect those worries on Friday, denying that the administration was giving Iran too much warning. He said the US response will be “multi-tiered” and insisted that neither he nor Biden would tolerate attacks on American troops.

Biden has blamed Iran for supplying the weapons that Islamic militants have used in attacking US forces in the Middle East more than 150 times since the Israel-Hamas war started. He has faced political pressure to respond aggressively, including calls by Republican lawmakers to launch devastating strikes inside Iran.

The IRGC’s Quds Force is an elite unit that specializes in guerilla warfare and intelligence-gathering outside Iran. It has sought to drive American forces out of neighboring Iraq since the US invasion in 2003.

https://www.rt.com/news/591738-pentagon-strikes-iraq-syria/

Bolton Goes On CNN To Rip Trump For Having 'No Inclination' To Support Ukraine

John Bolton went on CNN to raise the alarm over President Trump potentially taking office again and what this means for Ukraine policy. Trump's former national security advisor expressed that he's "very worried" for the future of Washington support to Ukraine's military because Trump as the Republican frontrunner "doesn't have any inclination" to support Kiev.

Already the past months have witnessed a string of setbacks and negative news for the Zelensky government. Most recently there's an open conflict between the Ukrainian president and his Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhny. Zaluzhny wrote in a new CNN op-ed, "We must contend with a reduction in military support from key allies, grappling with their own political tensions."

So hawks like Bolton want to see the next president stay muscular on Ukraine support, but the fear is that Trump has essentially given up on the Ukrainians, given the battlefield situation is already clearly going Russia's way, also given Ukraine's well-known and widespread corruption. Trump on the campaign trail has vowed to negotiate an end to the war within "24 hours". Watch Bolton rip his former boss in the below:

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bolton-goes-cnn-rip-trump-having-no-inclination-support-ukraine

Polish farmers announce Ukrainian border blockade

Brussels’ position on cheap imports is unacceptable, the Solidarity trade union declared

Polish farmers will block border crossings with Ukraine during a general strike planned for next week, the Solidarity trade union announced on Thursday.

In addition to making Ukrainian crossings impassable, the union plans intermittent road blockades across Poland to last through March 10, it said.

“Our patience has run out. Brussels’ position on the last day of January 2024 is unacceptable for our entire agricultural community,” the union said in a statement, referring to Thursday’s EU summit, which was loudly protested by farmers from across the bloc.

“The inaction of the Polish authorities and plans to cooperate with the European Commission and respect all its decisions regarding the import of agricultural products and food from Ukraine leave us no choice but to announce a general strike,” Solidarity added. It requested that Polish citizens respect the union’s struggle for what it framed as the “common good” of the nation.

Farmers across Germany, France, the Netherlands, and many other EU countries have turned out to protest in recent weeks, citing the bloc’s “green” climate policies targeting agricultural producers with price hikes on fuel, as well as the cheap Ukrainian imports flooding their domestic markets.

They converged on Brussels with over 1,300 tractors during the EU summit this week, throwing eggs, rocks, and fireworks at the EU Parliament building and setting huge piles of manure on fire.

The European Commission outraged farmers with its proposal on Thursday to extend the suspension of customs duties on agricultural goods from Ukraine and Moldova through 2025. Brussels had initially justified dropping the tariff in 2022 as a means of supporting Kiev during the conflict with Russia, and the suspension was previously scheduled to expire this year.

Polish farmers initially took to the streets last year to protest the cheap Ukrainian imports that have driven prices down and imperiled their livelihoods. Polish truckers joined the protests, claiming they too were being undercut by their Ukrainian counterparts. Along with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia, Poland moved to ban imports of Ukrainian grain in May.

A separate protest by another group of farmers and truckers blocking a key border crossing with Ukraine ended earlier this month when Warsaw capitulated to the protesters’ demands, which included reinstating a permit system for Ukrainian truckers, adopting government subsidies for Polish corn, and a moratorium on tax hikes.

After weeks of farmer protests across Europe, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a “strategic dialogue” with community and business leaders in Brussels last week in an effort to find “common and lasting solutions” for European agriculture. However, critics highlighted a lack of farmer representation at the meeting.

https://www.rt.com/news/591727-polish-farmers-border-blockade-ukraine/

The alarming corruption within the American judiciary has reached a level reminiscent of a Latin American banana republic.

Judge Kathaleen McCormick rescinded Elon Musk's $55 billion Tesla compensation package, overturning the company's board and 80% of its shareholders.

McCormick also ruled against @elonmusk during his Twitter acquisition.

Before becoming the head of the Delaware Chancery Court, McCormick worked at a Delaware law firm called Young Conaway.

This firm and its employees have been major donors to President Joe Biden for decades.

In 2016, Hunter Biden hosted a gubernatorial campaign event for Congressman John Carney, with then-Vice President Joe Biden as the guest speaker.

This event took place at the Law Offices of Young Conaway in Wilmington, Delaware.

https://citizenwatchreport.com/the-alarming-corruption-within-the-american-judiciary-has-reached-a-level-reminiscent-of-a-latin-american-banana-republic/#google_vignette