US, UK Launch Ongoing Strikes on Iran's Proxies, Israel Fortifies for Possible Assault on Hezbollah

JERUSALEM, Israel – The U.S. says it's planning more attacks, along with Britain, against Iranian-backed militias after carrying out dozens of airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq, as well as the Houthis in Yemen.

The Biden administration is responding to the killing of three American military personnel in an attack on Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan last week. Tower 22 is a U.S. military base near the Syrian and Iraqi borders of Jordan.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced, "This was the beginning of our response. There will be more steps. Some of those steps will be seen. Some may not be seen but there will be more action taken to respond to the death –  the tragic death – of the three brave U.S. service members."

Conservatives have argued that the Biden team's weak retaliatory strikes had not worked so far, with 160 enemy attacks on U.S. bases or ships since mid-October.

Sullivan added, "We cannot rule out more attacks from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria or from the Houthis. We have to be clear about that. The president is being clear about that – has told his military commanders that they need to be positioned to respond to further attacks as well."

He warned if Iran hits the U.S. directly, there will be trouble.

"From the perspective of Tehran, if they chose to respond directly to the United States they would be met with a swift and forceful response from us."

Meanwhile, another Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, has been ramping up rocket attacks along Israel's northern border, and Israel has retaliated with more than 3,400 strikes throughout southern Lebanon.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for Israel's military, announced this weekend that Israel has moved three IDF divisions to northern Israel. He claims Hezbollah has aligned itself with Hamas in Gaza since the outbreak of the war.

"Hezbollah is trying to divert our attention for the war in Gaza, disrupting the lives of Israeli residents of the north," said Hagari. "The aggression and attacks carried out by Hezbollah are fully backed by Iran, and are the service to the Iranian regime that wishes to harm Israel."

Hagari contends Israel is fighting intensely to reshape security and push Hezbollah back from the border, allowing Israeli evacuees to return home.

"According to the UN Security Resolution 1701, following the Second Lebanon War, the presence of armed Hezbollah operatives south of the Litani River is prohibited," he stated. "Despite the UN Resolution, Hezbollah turned southern Lebanon into its main stronghold."

In the controversy over funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, the European Union's leading foreign policy diplomat argued the defunding UNRWA would be dangerous because it would cut off aid to Palestinians in Gaza. 

His remarks came as a video surfaced recently showing Palestinian children at a school in eastern Jerusalem run by UNRWA bragging about wanting to murder Jews.

“We have been taught that the Jews kill our children," one young student declares. Another said, "stabbing and trampling Jews brings respect to the Palestinians," and another said she's "ready to carry out a suicide attack."

Israeli intelligence revelations indicate that UNRWA workers in Gaza participated in the October 7th massacre and kidnapping of hostages.

As hostage negotiations continue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel will not agree to a deal at all costs to free the hostages held in Gaza. He said Hamas battalions must be destroyed, the terrorist infrastructure cleared out, and tunnels neutralized.

Hamas appears ready to refuse the hostage release deal if Israel doesn't agree to stop the war.

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