On 30 December 2019,three US State Department officials gave a Special Briefing on background (anonymously) by telephone to the press about 29 December's US air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
Official One:
I think it's essential to understand that the strikes that the President ordered yesterday was a defensive action designed to protect American forces and American citizens in Iraq, but it is also aimed at deterring Iran.*
The strikes were targeting Kitaib Hizballah,an Iranian-organised,trained and equipped militia in Iraq and Syria.KH has attacked 11 Iraqi bases that host Coalition Forces in the last two months.In the most recent attack,KH fired a rocket barrage at a base in Kirkuk,Iraq, killing a US contractor and wounding US and Iraqi troops.*
Official One:
So President Trump and Secretary Pompeo have been making clear for some time now that we will not tolerate this sort of behaviour, not tolerate attacks on US citizens, its military or its allies.
Official Three:
I would say that this is obviously a campaign...And if there's any further escalation,it lies directly at the feet of Iran's proxies in Iraq, and not us.
Official One:
We don't preview future military action.We don't discuss our military options.Since May,we have moved an additional 14,000 troops to the region. We have established the International Maritime Security Initiative.We've enhanced our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, which we know has helped to disrupt and deter many of the attacks that Iran had been plotting, either by land,sea or air.KH is very well armed and trained by Iran, and they are responsible for many of these attacks against American troops and Iraqi troops.*
Some or all of the attacks may have been carried out by US Air Force F-35A fighters, which were featured in a photo spread on
social media yesterday by US CENTCOM.The fighters were being refueled by USAF KC-10 tankers out of Al Dhafra Air Base,UAE.
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