On today’s Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down news that a U.S. military base in northern Iraq was struck Wednesday by an attack drone packed with TNT. Iran-backed Shia militias are suspected to have launched the drone. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was also attacked by drones and missiles yesterday, courtesy of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels—as Iran’s terror proxies across the region grow more bold by the day. U.S. personnel in Iraq targeted once again, this time by an attack drone. As Iran's proxies throughout the region grow more bold by the day. Get all the breaking details coming up.
Hey folks, Eric Stackelbeck here, welcome to the Watchman Newscast those Iran-backed, Iraqi Shia militias are at it once again. Yesterday, Wednesday, April 15th, a U.S. Base in Arabia northern Iraq. Iraqi Kurdistan was struck not by a rocket but by an attack drone packed with TNT. Now the base is at Airbeal International Airport, no one was killed, maimed or injured, thank God, in this latest attack, but this is a new wrinkle that we are seeing. Usually it's those rocket barrages that we've reported on so much here at the Watchman Newscast over the past few months, but now these Iran-backed, Iraqi Shia militias who have targeted U.S. personnel in Iraq, on such a frequent basis are taking it to a different level using the attack drone.
This was unprecedented when it comes to northern Iraq and attacks against U.S. Personnel there. Again, thankfully no one was injured, there was damage to this base, a Coalition base, there's U.S. Soldiers there, of course are the main force there, but this base has been targeted repeatedly over the years, including back in February, when a barrage of rockets. Again, the usual, more of these Iran-backed groups in Iraq, a barrage of rockets hit that Coalition base. A contractor working with the United States was killed in that attack.
Now, the organization that claimed responsibility for that February attack was called the "Guardians of Blood", an Iran-backed Shia Militia. No clear claim of responsibility for this drone attack, but the "Guardians of Blood" apparently released a statement praising this latest attack. So again very interesting here because it shows you that the Iranian Regime, and its proxies across the region are trying to diversify, I guess you would say, their attack mode against U.S. forces, against the Saudis, against Israel, more on that in a minute.
I want to mention the timing of this drone attack. Look, the Biden administration, as we've been telling you here on the newscast, is hell-bent on reentering that Iran nuclear deal. There's been talks in Vienna, over the past two weeks about re-engaging with Iran, and again, the U.S. re-entering that deal. European powers are kind of playing the middle man there and trying to bring Iran and the United States together. To me Iran is sending a clear message with this latest strike against U.S. Personnel, they're saying, this is a blackmail strategy.
What do I mean by that? Well, Iran is saying to the United States, if you do not give us what we want, which first and foremost folks is the complete removal of any U.S. Sanctions against Iran, which have crippled the Iranian economy, which were put in place by President Trump. If you don't remove those Sanctions we will, United States, continue to make your life miserable in Iraq. We will continue to target your personnel there, we will stir things up through our proxies across the region, so you'd better give us what we want. That's what the Iranian Regime is saying to the Biden White House. Sadly, it looks like the Biden White House is going to take the bait, and say, okay, okay, we'll give you what you want, we just want to re-enter that deal and have peace. But they won't get peace, what they will get in return is more rockets and missiles and an expansion of Iranian terror across the region.
We saw that in the wake of the disastrous 2015 Iran nuclear deal cut by the Obama administration. What did Iran do did they kind of scale back on their nefarious activities across the region? No! They actually expanded their tentacles throughout the Middle East, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, and beyond. They took those billions of dollars in sanctions relief that were provided to them, and they did not build schools, and playgrounds, and and Rec Centers, and Orphanages in Iran. They used that money to buy advanced weaponry to destroy schools, and playgrounds, Rec Centers and Orphanages in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere across the region. So, that's what we're looking at, just a little bit of background on the timing.
Also, yesterday, again Wednesday, April 15th, very busy day, not only did we have the drone attack against a U.S. Military Base in northern Iraq, also in Saudi Arabia, once again, the Houthi rebels. Guess who backs them? Yes folks, you guessed it correctly, they are an Iranian Proxy. The Houthis in Yemen, launched, five ballistic missiles, and four attack drones against the Saudi coastal city of Jazzman, which is just north of Yemen where the Houthis are based, and where they are on the war path quite literally, and conquering more territory in that country, with their Iranian masters providing training support and weapons.
So, the Saudis say they intercepted this hybrid barrage yesterday, of missiles and drones, thankfully. But a very active day for the Iranian regime throughout the region, and the day before by the way, and we reported this on yesterday's newscast. You can check it out here in our archives. Iran fired a missile at an Israeli-owned vessel in the gulf of Oman it was in a port off the coast of the United Arab emirates. So, a very busy week, you would say, for the Iranian regime as it continues its nefarious activity throughout the region.
The Houthis in particular, have become very expert at using a combination of ballistic missiles and attack drones to attack targets inside Saudi Arabia. I mean this is happening practically on a daily basis in Saudi Arabia. It's not getting reported to any great extent in the mainstream media, but hey, that's why we do what we do right here at the Watchman Newscast, right? But, it's a nearly daily branch of drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia, including against Saudi Oil Facilities.
Now folks, if one of those Oil Facilities goes offline, you can bet that the mainstream media will suddenly become very interested in what's going on there because it will affect the Global Economy. Without a doubt we saw this hybrid model used in September, 2019, against a Saudi Oil Facility that was taken offline for a short time, and in that short time it affected the World's Oil supply. So, the Yemeni-based Houthi rebels, they seem like a kind of a rudimentary force in many ways, but they can wreak great havoc that could have an International reach if they are successful in these attacks against Saudi Arabia's Oil Installations.
Not only the Houthis, Iran has obviously equipped the Houthis, though with those attack drones. Hamas, Palestinian, Islamic, Jihad, in Gaza also have drones. Hezbollah of course in Lebanon, to Israel's north, they have drones. And the Iranian Regime, back in January, we talked about it here on the newscast, and we showed you footage. They actually had their first ever drone drill where the Iranian Regime showcased dozens and dozens, maybe hundreds of all sorts of drones attacks, drones surveillance drones, so-called suicide drones, which they could fly into a building or a target and would explode on impact.
So the Iranian Regime, the Iranian Military, very proudly showed off this drone arsenal, and these were homemade drones, domestically made inside Iran. So we see the model. Now Israel has been concerned about drones coming not only from Gaza or Lebanon, but from Yemen, courtesy of the Houthis and from Iraq, courtesy of those Iraqi Shia Militias. Who again, now if yesterday is any indication the attack on the U.S. Base yesterday, they are expanding their arsenal from rockets, which was bad enough and deadly enough by the way to now attack drones.
Folks, here's the good news and I say it every day. I will say it again today because I want to encourage you amid all the craziness going on. God Almighty, still sits on the Throne. Imagine that, He will never leave you or forsake you. If you are walking with him, He is your stronghold, your place of refuge in these very troubled times, put your faith in him, take heart be encouraged.
We have to share this information with you because we think that you would rather know than not know. That's why we do what we do and that's why we appreciate you tuning in here to the Watchman Newscast every Monday through Friday. Thanks for being with us today, yet again, until tomorrow, God bless you and remember never hold your peace.
#Iraq #Iran #Houthis #SaudiArabia #Kurdistan #Erbil
