The United States State Department has sent out a warning for American citizens in light of a threat published online by an Iraq-based group with ties to Iran.
In its statement, the State Department urged Americans to “exercise increased caution” in response to a pledge by the Shiite militant group Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq (AWH) to go after “legitimate targets” such as U.S. military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As a result, the American embassy in Kuwait said it will be “limiting its activity on U.S. military bases to essential and official events only.”
Per The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, AWH is a “façade group with unique ties to Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah.” The group released its threat on Telegram, making reference to conflict in the Middle East and Israel’s military actions in Gaza, writing:
After the persistence of the Zionist entity and its supporters in exterminating our people in steadfast Palestine and the killing, displacement and destruction we are witnessing today against the patient and struggling Palestinian people, we affirm that our patience has limits, and we give good news to the honorable and jealous members of our nation that we consider the American bases in Kuwait and the Emirates as legitimate targets for us, in response to the crimes of the Zionist entity and America. And in retaliation for the martyrs of beloved Palestine.
This is reportedly the fifth AWH threat or claim of responsibility for an attack made since 2021. That includes a drone attack in the UAE in February of 2022.
According to The National, AWH, also known as the “True Pledge Brigades — The Sons of the Arabian Peninsula,” takes orders from officers in the Quds Force, which is an arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The statement from AWH came a day after it was revealed on Tuesday that 24 American troops received minor injuries last week during rocket and drone attacks carried out against bases in Iraq and Syria.
Ahead of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza, the United States sent carriers and fighter aircraft to the region and ordered Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to be placed in nearby countries such as Kuwait and UAE, per Newsmax.
U.S. forces also conducted two airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups on Thursday night in Syria, in retaliation for the attack that left American troops injured last week.
“What we did tonight was take a self-defense action because our forces in the Middle East, who are there to support security and stability, are being threatened by Iran, and Iran-backed militias,” a senior defense official told Politico:
“The US sent a message tonight that we would directly respond against Iran, and specifically the IRGC, if they continue to attack our military positions and personnel in Syria and Iraq,” said Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official and CIA officer. “Iran prefers to hide behind their proxy forces, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, but that will not protect them from responsibility or our retaliation.”
And Joe Biden himself vowed on Wednesday that America is prepared to go after Iran directly if attacks against American forces continue.
“My warning to [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared,” said Biden.
Meanwhile, Iran has launched major two-day war games in the country’s central region. Russia Today provided a description of the scope and nature of the exercise:
The drill, dubbed ‘Eqtedar 1402’, started on Friday in the Nasrabad region of Isfahan province. Brigadier General Karim Cheshak, the spokesman for the exercise, was cited by Iranian media as saying that it involves infantry, various military hardware, warplanes, drones, and means of electronic warfare.
Cheshak also noted that a fleet of about 200 helicopters conducted operations on the first day of the drill. He added that the goal of the exercise is to assess the level of combat readiness of Iran’s ground forces and review combat tactics. Another objective is to “improve the deterrence power in the face of new threats, and also develop stable security,” the official said.
The spokesman further explained that the exercise will have four stages. The first will involve the transfer of four brigades to the drill area, the second will revolve around reconnaissance, and the third and fourth will involve nighttime airborne operations and coastal defense.
The ramifications of a potential U.S. invasion of Iran are not clear. Iran is not an isolated regime, but rather an important partner of both Russia and China.
In fact, Moscow is the Number One foreign investor in Iran, and China is not far behind. It is these close relations that have allowed Iran to stay afloat even in the face of U.S. sanctions. Regimes finding themselves on America’s wrong side now know that they can escape U.S. economic and political pressure to some extent by aligning themselves with Moscow and Beijing.
