January 29, 2024
Crime in Gaza and Punishment in Jordan
TEHRAN- Anti-U.S. sentiments have been on the rise in West Asia in recent months over Washington’s unwavering support for Israel’s barbarism and genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Since Israel launched its brutal onslaught on the besieged Palestinian territory on October 7, attacks on U.S. bases in West Asia by regional resistance groups have increased.
On Sunday, three U.S. troops were killed and dozens of other service members were wounded in a drone attack on a small American outpost in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.
According to U.S. officials, the number of wounded is expected to rise as service members seek treatment for symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injury.
The outpost known as Tower 22 is cloaked in a veil of secrecy. Located at the northeastern most point of Jordan, where the country's borders converge with Syria and Iraq, Tower 22 holds significant strategic importance for the U.S. in the region. It is not only a critical asset for monitoring regional developments but also serves as a launchpad for logistical and operational support.
On Sunday, CENTCOM said, “There are approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base (Tower 22), conducting a number of key support functions”.
But it remains unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone.
Biden intensifies rhetoric
Following the attack, President Joe Biden jumped to a conclusion and blamed Iran for the attack without providing any evidence.
“We know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden claimed.
The U.S. president also vowed to hold those responsible for the attack “to account”.
The U.S. calls regional resistance groups “Iran’s proxies” and accuses the Islamic Republic of supporting them financially and militarily.
This is while Iran has time and again stressed that resistance groups do not take orders from Tehran and act independently.
Sunday’s drone strike on Tower 22, marks the first time American troops have been killed by retaliatory attacks in West Asia since Israel’s deadly war on Gaza began nearly four months ago.
A resistance group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the drone attack, citing support for the Palestinians in the face of the Israeli massacre of Gazans.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has also claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks against bases housing American forces in Iraq and Syria since the Israeli regime started its military campaign in Gaza.
Other regional resistance groups have intensified strikes against U.S. bases. They call their strikes as retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel’s brutal war on Palestinian people in Gaza. These resistance groups also say they aim to push American troops out of the West Asia region.
There are about 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in northeast Syria. Washington claims these forces support operations against remnants of the Daesh terror group. This is while Iraqi people and officials call for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. soldiers from their country. Syria has also adopted a similar stance saying the U.S. military presence in the country is aimed at looting its oil resources.
The retaliatory attack on Tower 22 is definitely the result of U.S. support for Israel and its attacks against the positions of regional resistance groups in Iraq and Syria.
Biden has threatened to retaliate following the attack. If the U.S. intensifies attacks on resistance groups in the region, it will have to pay a heavier price for its military adventurism as anti-U.S. sentiments will grow further and this will lead to more strikes against American bases and more casualties among soldiers.
The U.S. is currently reeling from the repercussions of its invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, which left many U.S. soldiers dead. In the case of Afghanistan, the U.S. was humiliated after it had to withdraw from the country after 20 years of occupation.
U.S. would have to face the music
Despite such fears, Biden has come under increasing pressure from Republicans for not taking strong action against resistance groups and Iran.
But they should take into consideration that more than 150 attacks have been carried out by resistance groups on American forces in the region since Israel launched war on Gaza.
Besides, U.S. administration officials have repeatedly said they do not want to see tensions boil over into a regional war.
Hence, if the U.S. government decides to widen its attacks, it would have to face the consequences.
Washington should have realized that resistance groups will deal more severe blows to the U.S. if it targets them.
Presently, the U.S. should exert pressure on Israel to bring an end to its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip if it wants to avoid a wider regional conflict.
This is because the intensification of attacks on U.S. interests in West Asia is rooted in its backing of the regime’s war on Gaza.
Washington should also halt the supply of weapons to the Tel Aviv regime.
The U.S. needs to face reality and understand that the era of hit-and-run has ended and its measures against resistance groups will be met with a harsher response. West Asia
could also become “Hell on Earth” for U.S. forces if Israel’s war on Gaza spills over into a regional conflict.