Iranian Officials Confirm Tehran Preparing To Target US Diplomats, Personnel
By The Media Line Staff
Two senior Iranian officials confirmed that Tehran is preparing to target US diplomats and personnel, supporting US intelligence warnings about increased Iranian efforts to attack Americans in the Middle East and elsewhere, The New York Times reported Saturday.
One unnamed official is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The officials told the Times that such tactics are “fair game” given US and Israeli targeting of Iranian officials.
Their comments follow a memo Friday from US national intelligence chief Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning that Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond.
CNN separately reported that Washington is accelerating the evacuation of some diplomatic personnel and their families from missions across the Middle East over concerns about a regional escalation.
An official evacuation order covers non-essential staff and their families in Saudi Arabia, according to CNN. Washington is also quietly reducing personnel at its embassies in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.
A US official told Fox News Digital that the government continually monitors and assesses changing security threats.
“When it comes to our staffing at embassies, we constantly evaluate new information about the security environment,” the official said. “The threat of Houthi attacks and of Iranian terror plots targeting US officials are informing our decisions on staffing adjustments for embassies on RO Status in the region.”
Iran-Backed Militia Accuses US of Airspace Violations as Baghdad Probes Suspected Israeli Strikes
By The Media Line Staff
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq accused US forces Saturday of repeatedly breaching the country’s airspace, while Iraqi officials investigate explosions that security sources believe may have been Israeli attacks on weapons belonging to Iran-backed factions.
The coalition of pro-Iranian militias claimed US fighter and surveillance aircraft entered Iraqi airspace 171 times from Sept. 30 through Oct. 23.
According to the group, the alleged flights violated existing commitments and agreements between Baghdad and Washington. It urged the Iraqi government to address the issue publicly.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq also criticized recent restrictions affecting airports and border crossings with Iran, alleging that outside pressure prompted the measures.
One such measure took effect Wednesday morning, when Iraq shut the Al-Sheeb crossing with Iran in the southern province of Maysan. Authorities said the crossing would remain closed until further notice.
Separately, Iraqi authorities are examining a series of explosions that may have resulted from Israeli strikes against Iran-backed armed groups, the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
Security sources cited by the newspaper said a major consignment of Chinese-made portable air defense systems and suicide drones brought from Iran for local pro-Tehran factions was destroyed in the suspected attacks. Two storage facilities were struck soon after the weapons arrived, according to the report.
Those explosions came as warehouses operated by armed factions around Baghdad have been hit by a succession of unexplained blasts since early October.
Iraqi intelligence and security agencies are investigating the explosions and have raised the readiness of the country’s air defenses. Israeli authorities declined to comment.
Iraq has faced similar incidents before. In 2019, diplomatic sources cited by Asharq Al-Awsat said Israeli F-35 stealth fighters struck Iranian ballistic missile shipments and military advisers at Camp Ashraf northeast of Baghdad.
The developments also come after Iraq formally declared Sept. 30 that the US-led international coalition’s mission against the Islamic State in the country had concluded.
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