A US official told the New York Times that approximately 20 Iranian military advisors were killed during overnight joint US-Saudi airstrikes in Iraq. The official said the sites were chosen specifically for the presence of Iranian advisors, aiming to degrade the militias' ability to launch missiles and drones.
At 21:12 Jerusalem, a US official told The New York Times that approximately 20 Iranian military advisors were killed in the joint US-Saudi airstrikes conducted overnight Wednesday, and that the targeted sites were chosen specifically for the presence of those advisors. The official said the aim was to degrade the militias' ability to launch missiles and drones. The figure matches the casualty count provided earlier Wednesday by the Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militia, which reported at least 20 operatives killed and 32 wounded.
The evolution of sourcing for this operation has been rapid. The first reports at 05:51 Jerusalem were an unverified account of a command post of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Units being hit in Basra. Within the same hour, Hashd al-Shaabi confirmed that several of its official bases had been struck, calling the attacks a "very dangerous escalation" and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. The militia later provided detailed casualty figures, and by early evening, a US official was on the record confirming the targeted killing of Iranian advisors. The pattern shows a shift from a single unverified claim to an on-record US confirmation.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this morning, the airstrikes are part of a broader US air campaign that has included strikes inside Iran and against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Jordan. The US military has stated that the strikes were a response to a wave of drone attacks directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Hashd al-Shaabi umbrella organization has threatened retaliation against Saudi Arabia, referencing a "Yemeni-style" response. The US has maintained a "self-defense" framing for the operation.
It remains unclear whether Iran will respond directly to the killing of its advisors. The full extent of casualties and damage from the strikes is still being assessed by the involved parties, and no diplomatic resolution has been announced.
6 developments
- StrongIranian media: 4 IRGC members killed in US strike on Khuzestan military facility
- DevelopingIranian channel claims US attacked IRGC fast boats, killing fighters
- StrongOvernight: IRGC operatives' bodies wrapped in Iranian flag after Iraq strikes; photo suggests higher toll
- Developing2 IRGC members killed clearing unexploded ordnance from US strikes, report says
Source and signal
- Open-source intake