Early yesterday morning a drone hit a naval base in the city of Eilat, located at Israel’s southern tip. It appears to have been fired by one of the many Iran-backed militias in Iraq, which have been integrated into Iraq’s military and political structure. Yesterday, Israel also struck a building next door to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing two generals in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Benny Avni observes that the strike on Damascus is a sign that Israel “is changing the rules of the game, with a direct hit to the Iranian head of the snake.” Avni also notes that one of the strike’s targets was likely involved in planning the drone attack on Eilat, which itself is the first of its kind. Now the question is how America will respond:
Congressional Republicans are calling on President Biden to disinvite Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and scrap his scheduled April 15 Washington visit. . . . Following quiet negotiations between Washington and Tehran officials, Iran-backed Iraqi militias all but stopped attacks on American troops based in Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi militias are part of the country’s security apparatus, and Baghdad must be held responsible.
Apparently, whatever deal was made between the White House and Iraq didn’t rule out attacks on Israel. It should.
Read more on New York Sun: https://www.nysun.com/article/biden-pressed-to-cancel-white-house-visit-by-iraqi-premier-as-a-widened-middle-east-conflict-heats-up