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LAST UPDATE | 5 Jan 2020
IRAQ’S PARLIAMENT HAS passed a motion urging the government to oust the US-led coalition in the country.
The motion follows the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport on Friday, an incident which has seen tensions escalate in the region.
Iraq also said today that it had submitted complaints to the United Nations Security Council over the drone strikes, calling on the council to condemn the killing of Soleimani.
Earlier, Donald Trump warned that the US is targeting 52 sites in Iran and can hit them “very fast and very hard” if American personnel or assets are attacked.
Trump said the figure represents the number of Americans who were held hostage at the US embassy in Tehran for more than a year from 1979.
He also said that some of the sites are “at a very high level and important to Iran and the Iranian culture” and that the US “wants no more threats”.
The president then tweeted again on Saturday night to warn Iran that the US will hit Iran “harder than they have ever been hit before”.
He followed up with another tweet, saying the US would use new military equipment “without hesitation” if the Iranians retaliated.
The threats came after pro-Iran factions ramped up pressure on US installations across Iraq with missiles and warnings to Iraqi troops, part of an outburst of anger over the killing of Soleimani, described as the second most-powerful man in Iran.
The US strike at Baghdad International Airport killed five Iranian Revolutionary Guards and five members of Iraq’s Hashed.
Among the dead was Hashed’s deputy head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a top adviser and a personal friend to Soleimani.
As head of the Guards’ foreign operations arm, known as the Quds, Soleimani was a powerful figure domestically and oversaw Iran’s wide-ranging interventions in regional power struggles.
Trump has said Soleimani was planning an “imminent” attack on US personnel in Baghdad and should have been killed “many years ago”.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised “severe revenge” for his death, while Tehran hit out at the strike as an “act of war”, with Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdisaid warning that it could bring “devastating” violence to Iraq.
With the Islamic republic promising revenge, his killing was the most dramatic escalation yet in spiraling tensions between Washington and Tehran and has prompted fears of a major conflagration in the Middle East.
First hints of retaliation
In the first hints of a possible retaliatory response, two mortar rounds hit an area near the US embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, security sources said.
Almost simultaneously, two rockets were fired into the Al-Balad airbase where American troops are deployed north of Baghdad, the same sources added.
The Iraqi military confirmed the missile attacks in Baghdad and on al-Balad but said there were no casualties. The US military also said no coalition troops were hurt.
With Americans wondering whether Iran will hit back for the assassination, the US Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin that there was no “specific, credible threat” against the country.
But on Saturday, the website of the Federal Depository Library Program, a little-known US government agency, was breached by a group claiming to be linked to Iran, who posted graphics displaying the Iranian flag and vowed revenge for Soleimani’s death.
The attacks appeared to be precisely the reaction Iraqis had long feared: tit-for-tat strikes between the Hashed and the US on Iraqi soil.
Separately, US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that information given to Congress by Trump prompted “serious and urgent questions about the timing, manner and justification” for Friday’s strike.
“The Trump Administration’s provocative, escalatory and disproportionate military engagement continues to put service members, diplomats and citizens of America and our allies in danger,” she said.
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To be fair…it takes a bigger person to acknowledge they are not the best person for the job. Next question is…who is?
@Dramafree 2023: Hopefully, someone with balls to stand up for Ireland
@Dramafree 2023: me.
@Dramafree 2023: Very good decision for his party. Again he surprised me. Not a typical politician glued to his chair.
@Dramafree 2023: No, it just takes a man who knows his time is up. Like the other ten, he will jump ship because he recognises the impending defeat he has led his party to through the relentless pursuit of foreign agendas ahead of the interests of the Irish people.
@Dramafree 2023: I expect a narcissist of his type to move onto big EU role shortly.
@Dramafree 2023: only took him 7 years
Trying to pretend this is no big deal?…election time now needed…the resignation of Taoiseach is a big deal this government cannot continue
So, just wait now for the inevitable scandal, and real reason for running for the hills, to be revealed. I’m sure he’ll ride off into the sunset with his palms we’ll greased. Rotten to the core.
@Michael Fielding: sure if no scandal comes to pass the conspiracy theorists will make up one
Something is off with this. Looks like he was pushed. Coveney trying not to look smug. Hopefully a general election will happen, not another ‘leader’ who does not represent the wishes of the Irish people, especially one who has publicly stated that they want to double our population
@Tilal Moore:they were going to have a no confidence vote on him as leaders. Which he would have lost . So saved him self Embarrassment
@Tilal Moore: You missed out a word. “Who does not represent the wishes of “some of” the Irish people…”.
You can’t claim that ALL Irish people have the same views as yourself.
@Tilal Moore: Where did he publicly state that he wants to double our population?
@Jason Memail: That was Coveney in 2017 & in 2018 that Cork’s population would treble by 2038
@Sal Paradise: obviously no leader could represent the wishes of all Irish people. We do need someone though who will listen to the concerns of the majority on important issues like healthcare, immigration planning, carer support etc. A general election is the fairest way of allowing the general public to use their voice
You never where the best for the job
@Navanman: why don’t you put your name down for it then
@Navanman: *were
St Patrick’s revenge.
@JP: best comment so far lmao!
Don’t be fooled into believing this was honourable. There is no honour in that man. He ran from a sinking ship. His name will still be attached to the many many screw ups.. He achieved nothing!
@Eoghan Augusta: he did achieve something though… he’s completely fecked us all over and now he gets to walk away from his mess. Probably has a cushy job in thr EU set up now.
@Morticia Byrne: How, with full employment, a booming economy, majority of people own their own home, airlines and airports packed with holiday makers, you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a new car ?
The government are setting up an enquiry into the reasons he resigned it will be headed up by Judge Judy.
He never was the best person for the job.
He’s pulling a Bertie, the coward!! He stopped being the best person for the job when the government allowed rent prices to soar to ridiculous levels that they are now at
In the photo, he is turning him back to the camera .just like the way he has turned his back to the Irish people on so many occasions
You never were the best person for the job. Just a little Torieboy boot licker.
You ruined our country . Now take your fg/FF buddies with you. The hardship and damage you have caused on working class people is unbelievable. Maggie Thatcher would be proud of you.
Brilliant at the beginning of pandemic, and if you don’t recognise this you’re fooling yourself, but quite bad on the big issues like housing and health system. Yes, indeed, he was perfect for the rich, for lgbt (no pb with that), but not everybody is rich or gay. He shouldn’t allowed this housing crisis, that’s absolutely incredible the way we are in now where the medium rent in Dublin is 80% of a medium wage.
Good riddance
Don’t like the guy or his party, but that takes balls in fairness. He’s gone up.in my estimations. He’s now at a sum total of 1
Why do I feel like I want to open a bottle of Prosecco. This is the best news from the government in years.
FG have made no progress/improvements In the polls during Varadkar’s 7 year tenure. They have lost several by-elections and just recently the 2 referendums, in what was a disastrous result. The worst leader in FG’s history and one of the worst Taoisigh – he won’t be missed.
Considering he and ffg have had power since the foundation of the state and civil war politics are nearly finished, The grift will go on and on and on ,ps as much as I disagree with the man’s politics , I believe in democracy and he is the leader of of government and I respect that office,
That took a long time to come to that realization…
I think I must be mad, because I believe all those who enter politics should be admired and respected no matter what their political leaning. It is not easy having your family life upset and the unnecessary vile criticism of you constantly. All TDs enter the Dail to do the best they can for the country and not for the money. If it was for money we would have thousands on each ballot paper. All politicians get it wrong but then the are human. As a wise man once said ” he who makes no mistakes knows nothing “
@finbarr walsh: ya you’re mad
All I’ll say is thank God we had a Taoiseach who was a doctor at the start of the pandemic.
@Dawn O’Shea: And while we were building a new children’s hospital too. Made all the difference. Great work Leo.
@Dawn O’Shea: Yes, I’ll remember him for his efforts during the pandemic. He did more there and then to help Irish people and I’ve heard English people praising him and wishing their country had had better oversight. He also volunteered when he didn’t have to. Credit where it’s due; he did his part.
He never was the best person for the job!
“… Continue going forward” , “protect all that’s been achieved…” The man is deluded, the country hasn’t been in this bad a state for a long, long time. I struggled to watch that video, FFS, the guy is starting to cry at one stage !
Do I see Harris rubbing his hands (see photo) with glee anticipating his chances of being the next Taoiseach?
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