US national security adviser refuses to rule out attacks on Iranian soil
Jake
Sullivan said the US would continue to 'respond forcefully' to attacks
on it soldiers and interests, adding the retaliatory strikes are 'the
beginning, not the end’
Ambulances
carrying the bodies of people killed the previous day in US strikes in
western Iraq, arrive ahead of their funeral procession in Baghdad on 4
January 2024 (AFP)
4 February 2024
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has refused to rule out air strikes on
Iranian soil in the wake of a barrage of attacks on Iran-linked groups across the Middle East.
Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, Sullivan was repeatedly asked if the US was considering attacks on Iran.
"Well, sitting here today on a national news programme, I'm not going
to get into what we've ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of
military action," he said.
"What I will say is that the president is determined to respond
forcefully to attacks on our people. The president also is not looking
for a wider war in the Middle East."
Pressed again on the question, he continued to avoid a direct answer.
"I'm not going to get into what's on the table and off the table," he
said, before adding the strikes were "the beginning, not the end" of
Washington's response.
The US, along with the UK, launched strikes on Yemen's Houthis overnight, hitting dozens of targets, just a day after they hit a number of Iran-linked groups in Syria and Iran.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
claimed the strikes on Houthi targets were in self-defence, adding he
would not "hesitate to protect British lives."
"Since the last set of strikes, we have seen the Houthis continue to
attack shipping in the Red Sea," Sunak said during a visit to Northern
Ireland.
"That is obviously unacceptable. It is illegal. It puts innocent
people's lives at risk and it has economic consequences. It includes
attacks, by the way, on British-linked vessels. And that is why we have
acted again in self-defence, in a proportionate way, and together with
our allies.
"I have been clear that I won’t hesitate to protect British lives,
British interests, and our diplomatic efforts are focused on bringing
de-escalation and stability back to the region."
US and UK 'fuelling chaos'
Iran-aligned groups have launched more than 160 rocket and drone
strikes against US troops in Iraq and Syria since mid-October following
the 7 October attacks on southern Israel and Israel's decision to go to
war on Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Houthis, have mounted dozens of attacks against
merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, severely disrupting
traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
The Houthis have promised to continue disrupting Red Sea traffic
until Israel stops its attacks on the residents of Gaza and allows
humanitarian aid and basic supplies to enter the besieged enclave.
A Houthi military spokesperson said on Sunday that the rebel group,
also known as Ansarullah, would not be deterred, adding that the strikes
on Yemen would "not pass without a response and consequences."
Iran on Sunday warned that the strikes across the region appeared to
"contradict" the stated desire by the leaders of the US and UK that the
fighting in Gaza not expand into a regional war.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, said in a statement
that the attacks were "in clear contradiction with the repeated claims
of Washington and London that they do not want the expansion of war and
conflict in the region".
He said the two countries were "fuelling chaos, disorder, insecurity
and instability" by supporting Israel in its war in Gaza, which has so
far left at least 27,365 people dead, according to the health ministry
in Gaza.