The State Department issued a worldwide advisory for U.S. citizens, and the American Embassy in Kuwait altered its activity in the wake of a new threat of “retaliation” made online by an Iran-backed militia located in Iraq.
The State Department issued the caution Wednesday, advising Americans to “exercise increased caution” after the Shiite militant group Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq (AWH) posted a threat on social media against “legitimate targets” — U.S. military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates — on Tuesday.
The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait acknowledged the threat and announced it was “limiting its activity on U.S. military bases to essential and official events only.”
AWH, described by The Washington Institute as a “façade group with unique ties to Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah,” posted its warning to the U.S. on Telegram amid the growing tensions in the Middle East and, of course, Israel’s impending invasion of Gaza.
“After the persistence of the Zionist entity and its supporters in exterminating our people in steadfast Palestine and the killing, displacement and destruction we are witnessing today against the patient and struggling Palestinian people, we affirm that our patience has limits, and we give good news to the honorable and jealous members of our nation that we consider the American bases in Kuwait and the Emirates as legitimate targets for us, in response to the crimes of the Zionist entity and America. And in retaliation for the martyrs of beloved Palestine,” AWH’s statement read in full.
According to The Washington Institute, this is the fifth threat or claim of attack made by AWH since 2021, including a four-drone attack on the UAE in February 2022. The AWH, or the True Pledge Brigades — The Sons of the Arabian Peninsula, answer directly to officers in the Quds Force, an arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the The National News.
AWH’s threat came the same day that Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Iran that the U.S. would respond “swiftly and decisively” to any attack by the country or any of its proxies. It was also revealed Tuesday that 24 U.S. service members suffered minor injuries in drone and rocket attacks on bases in Iraq and Syria last week, part of 13 separate attacks.
The Biden administration has warned Iran more than once against expanding the conflict in the region amid Israel’s declared war on the Iran-backed terrorist group, Hamas.
The Pentagon has ordered Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to be deployed to several countries, including Kuwait and UAE, ahead of Israel’s impending ground invasion of Gaza. The U.S. has also deployed warships and fighter aircraft to the region, including two aircraft carriers, to try to deter Iran and Iran-backed groups.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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