24 Hours of War in the Middle East Leaves Region Shaking

• 24 Hours of War in the Middle East Leaves Region Shaking
  by SETH J. FRANTZMAN, https://www.jpost.com/ , 28 June 2020
  The region is undergoing a half-dozen wars at the same time that pit Iran and its proxies against the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
  –
  A raid on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen attacking Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey squaring off in Libya, the aftermath of airstrikes in Syria and Turkey and Iran coordinating attacks on Kurdish militants all served as a backdrop for an unprecedented 24 hours in the Middle East.
  –
  The region is undergoing a half-dozen wars at the same time that pit Iran and its proxies against the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia; and also Iran and Turkey against Kurdish militants; as well as proxy groups in Libya fighting each other and various Syrian groups fighting each other.
  –
  Overnight, between Thursday and Friday, an unprecedented raid by the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service struck at Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Iran has accused the US of involvement. The US and Iraq are in the midst of strategic dialogue, and there have been calls on the new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi to crack down on these groups.
  –
  Kataib Hezbollah, the key Iranian-backed group, has carried out dozens of rocket attacks on US forces in Iraq, killing three members of the Coalition and a contractor. The US carried out three rounds of airstrikes on this group, in December, January and March; and killed Iran’s IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani. The raids led to a protest at the Green Zone and arrests. The full details of what happened are not clear, but Iraq may have stoked tensions with Iran and US forces could be targeted.
  –
  At the same time a large gas storage tank reportedly exploded near Tehran in Parchin just after midnight, leading to rumors of airstrikes on Iran. The massive explosion looked like it was a serious accident. Iran’s media and regime cannot be trusted to provide the full details. The massive explosion led to many false social media reports about the incident, including claims it was some kind of attack on Iran. Iran’s Ministry of Defense says the incident is under control.
  –
  read more.

end