Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

U.S. Military Strikes Iranian Militia in Iraq and Northern Syria – Secretary Pompeo and Esper Briefing…
CONSERVATIVE TREEHOUSE ^ | 12/29/2019 | SUNDANCE

Posted on 12/29/2019 9:47:47 PM PST by bitt

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Miley traveled to Mar-a-Lago today to brief President Trump on issues around the middle-east. The three leaders also held a press briefing this evening about U.S. military strikes that took place earlier today.

At the beginning of his remarks Secretary Pompeo stated “we came to Florida today to brief the president on activities that have taken place in the Middle East over the course of the last 72 hours.” Additionally Pompeo said he would let Esper discuss “the military aspects but I wanted to put into context our policy with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Secretary Pompeo: “The attack that took place against the Iraqi facility threatened American forces. This has been going on now for weeks and weeks and weeks. This wasn’t the first set of attacks against this particular Iraqi facility and others where there were American lives at risk. And today what we did is take a decisive response that makes clear what President Trump has said for months and months and months, which is that we will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy.”

“We will always honor that commitment to take decisive actions when that takes place. We continue to demand the Islamic Republic of Iran act in a way that is consistent with what I laid out back in May 2018, for what it is that we expect Iran to do so that it can rejoin the community of nations.”

(Excerpt) Read more at theconservativetreehouse.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 201805; djibouti; eritrea; hassannasrallah; hezbollah; iran; iraq; lebanon; spam; sudan; syria; yemen

1 posted on 12/29/2019 9:47:47 PM PST by bitt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Whenifhow; null and void; aragorn; EnigmaticAnomaly; kalee; Kale; azishot; AZ .44 MAG; Baynative; ..

check out the comments..


2 posted on 12/29/2019 9:48:07 PM PST by bitt (A FRIVOLOUS impeachment vote is a SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt

Knute Rockne:

“Hit ‘em again, hit ‘em again, harder! harder!


3 posted on 12/29/2019 10:31:28 PM PST by Netz ( and looking for a way ti IMPROVE mankind.i)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: bitt

Looks like Sundance got his check from Iran.


4 posted on 12/29/2019 10:44:49 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: piasa
Looks like Sundance got his check from Iran.

Yeah, the "personal and cynical note" by sundance is idiotic, and reinforces why everything he writes should be taken with a huge dose of skepticism.

5 posted on 12/29/2019 10:54:32 PM PST by ETCM
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: bitt

We have learned the DNC is a much greater threat than Iran over the course of the last three years. When do we start bombing them?


6 posted on 12/30/2019 1:21:18 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt

L8r


7 posted on 12/30/2019 2:51:08 AM PST by preacher ( Journalism no longer reports news, they use news to shape our society.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt

I haven’t heard much about this in the Lame Stream Media. This is only the second article I’ve seen.


8 posted on 12/30/2019 3:42:15 AM PST by ducttape45 ("Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people." Proverbs 14:34)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt
Update to the War Zone article

UPDATE: 3:33pm PST—
The situation is changing rapidly in Iraq in the hours following the U.S. strikes on Kata'ib Hezbollah in Iraq and Syria.

There are reports of another rocket attack on a base housing U.S. personnel Iraq:

#BREAKING 4 rockets target base housing US personnel near Iraq capital: security official pic.twitter.com/gMeFEECJ63
— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 29, 2019

Casualty reports from the strikes are wide-ranging, but all include multiple killed and wounded. Key individuals tied to the group and Iran's Quds forces are vowing revenge:

#UPDATE The US carried out air strikes against a pro-Iran militant group in Iraq Sunday, killing 19 fighters, two days after a rocket attack that killed an American civilian contractor https://t.co/qdtlnEODNZ
— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 29, 2019

#BREAKING: Hezbollah’s @AlmanarBreaking reports the military spokesman for the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, Mr. Jaafar Al-Husseini states there are 24 dead and more than 50 wounded in the US airstrikes on their bases
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) December 29, 2019

Iranian media:
Abu Ali al-Khazali, close to #Iran's IRGC Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani, was reportedly killed in the U.S. attacks targeting Tehran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah sites in al-Qaim, a town in Iraq adjacent to the Syria border. pic.twitter.com/xIItTDuyNi
— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) December 29, 2019

Kata'ib Hezbollah commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes, vows to give crushing response to the American attack pic.twitter.com/g97LkSmZkA
— Yossi Mansharof (@Yossi_Mansharof) December 29, 2019

The Iraqi government appears to have not given its approval for the strikes, which could result in a huge division between the Washington and Baghdad in the hours and days ahead:

Iraqi President Bahram Salih says US attack on PMF (Hashd) is a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.https://t.co/0TVeeNBTzt
— David M. Witty (@DavidMWitty1) December 29, 2019

Spox of the commander of #Iraq’s Armed Forces, said during a live interview on state television, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper informed the Iraqi Prime Minister half an hour prior to the US airstrikes against #Iran-backed militia positions. #Hezbollah
— Hamdi (@HamdiAlkhshali) December 29, 2019

Spox said that #Iraq's PM "expressed his strong objection to this unilateral decision and his concern that it would lead to further escalation and demanded that he [Esper] stop it [airstrikes] immediately.”. #Iran #Hezbollah
— Hamdi (@HamdiAlkhshali) December 29, 2019

Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi "strongly objected" to the US strikes on Kataeb Hezbollah positions in Iraq & Syria, @WSJ reports. His spokesman calls it "a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a dangerous escalation." https://t.co/XE0rQvKRNU
— Liz Sly (@LizSly) December 29, 2019

DoD
Multiple reports on social media of a large blast heard in Baghdad's Green Zone and an increased U.S. military presence there, but these cannot be confirmed at this time.

President Trump is meeting with top foreign policy and defense officials at Mar-a-Lago following the strikes:

Senior national security leaders, including U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, were expected to brief President Donald Trump in Florida on the strikes in Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials say.
— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) December 29, 2019

Esper and Pompeo say they came to Mar-A-Lago to brief Trump on events in Middle East. Pentagon targeted five sites in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for attack by Iranian backed militia attack on Iraqi facility that endangered US troops, and additional options under consideration
— Justin Sink (@justinsink) December 30, 2019

Air strikes were successful and officials briefed @POTUS on other options, @EsperDoD tells reporters. (Radio pool photo from @FoxEbenBrown) pic.twitter.com/Vo4ajx7EZh
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) December 30, 2019

UPDATE: 4:35pm PST—
As predicted above, a real rift is emerging here. Iran will do anything it can to capitalize on it and further its influence, both military and political, in Iraq:

Spokesman of the commander of #Iraq’s Armed Forces, Abdelkarim Khalaf, said during a live INTV on state TV that “these strikes represents a treacherous stab in the back.”. #Iran
— Hamdi (@HamdiAlkhshali) December 30, 2019

Once again, the situation remains fluid and some of these details are bound to be revised in the hours to come.

We will update this post as this developing story continues to unfold.

9 posted on 12/30/2019 4:18:35 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PIF

One can’t help but wonder if the democrat’s sham impeachment has emboldened America’s enemies, who may think Trump is either on his way out, or at the very least unpopular with US citizens.

Talk about a giant miscalculation.


10 posted on 12/30/2019 5:45:29 AM PST by ConservativeWarrior (Fall down 7 times, stand up 8. - Japanese proverb)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: bitt

How is only 25 dead decisive?

All dead is decisive

All dead in Hezbollah Lebanon is decisive


11 posted on 12/30/2019 5:49:49 AM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt; BeauBo; Candor7; ColdOne; Navy Patriot; caww; dp0622; Gene Eric; Freemeorkillme; Wuli; ...

>> bitt

Thanks for posting

Syria Ping

de Texas Fossil


12 posted on 12/30/2019 6:04:00 AM PST by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bitt

Send these jihadi whackos right down the 12th imam’s well.

AllahWahoo Whackbar!

So much presidential winning.

Pump out that oil Mr. President.
And pay for services we render.


13 posted on 12/30/2019 6:21:07 AM PST by Candor7 ((Obama Fascism)http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2009/05/barack_obam_the_quintessentia_1.html))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ETCM

Noting that POTUS has not said anything is idiotic to you? Are you serious Clark?


14 posted on 12/30/2019 7:14:58 AM PST by Dartoid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeWarrior

Nah. Iran has been escalating for years now, as will continue to do so until they have nuclear weapons and delivery systems which they will then use to escalate further - destruction to Iran is immaterial to the mad mullahs


15 posted on 12/30/2019 8:12:21 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson