Iraq: Formal Notice of Iraq Strike To Congress- No Sign of Calm

1- White House gives lawmakers formal notice of Iraq strike - congressional aides2 Min Read

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House transmitted on Saturday its formal notification to Congress of Friday’s U.S. drone strike ordered by President Donald Trump that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, two senior congressional aides told Reuters.Many congressional Democrats have criticized Trump for failing to seek advance approval or notify Congress of the attack, which has caused a dramatic rise in tensions between Iran and the United States and its allies.The notification was sent under a 1973 U.S. law called the War Powers Act, which requires the administration to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action or imminent actions. Trump’s administration was expected to explain the circumstances, the authority under which the action was taken and the expected scope and duration of the military involvement. The White House did not immediately comment.The version submitted to Congress is classified and it is not clear if the White House will release an unclassified version, according to one of the aides, speaking on condition of anonymity.

2-Homeland Security updates terror threat advisory warning of Iranian cyber risk

The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday updated its terrorism threat advisory system following the US airstrike targeting a top Iranian general and is warning of the potential for Iranian cyber attacks. 

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin in the wake of the drone attack, which killed the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force Qasem Soleimani. 

The bulletin details the attack and potential Iranian threat, including previous plots against US infrastructure and cyber targets. "Iran maintains a robust cyber program and can execute cyber attacks against the United States," reads the bulletin, which expires January 18.Wolf maintained in a statement that there is "no specific, credible threat against the homeland."However, he said that the department is "operating with an enhanced posture" and various DHS agencies are taking protective measures.

3- Basnews

The third explosion has been reported from Iraq, reportedly targeting a military base near Mosul province.The explosion was reportedly heard near Al-Kindi camp in northern Mosul city.Earlier in the evening, rocket rounds landed inside the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy and other foreign diplomatic facilities are located.A similar attack was carried out against Iraq's Balad Air Base housing the US forces, with no casualties reported from the three incidents yet.

4- Airstrike Hits Iraqi Syrian Border                             5- Iraq Rocket Attack Hit Central Baghdad and Airbase Housing Troops

Rockets reportedly targeted the highly fortified Green Zone in Baghdad as well as an air base housing US troops. The explosions come on the heels of a US airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.Several rockets fell in the city's Jadriya neighborhood as well as the heavily fortified Green Zone which houses government buildings and several foreign missions, including the US Embassy.Blasts also targeted the the Balad air base, located 80 kilomteters (50 miles) north of Baghdad,  which is hosting US troops in Iraq. Security sources told news agency AFP that surveillance drones were sent out above the base to locate the source of the rockets.Iraqi military added in their statement that there was "no loss of life."

6 Task and Purpose

 The United States has designated Asaib Ahl Al-Haq as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), saying the Iraqi militia is a proxy for Iran.The U.S. State Department statement on January 3 said that it was also sanctioning two of the group's leaders.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the militia and its leaders "violent proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran."The State Department said Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, also known as the League of the Righteous, is backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, which has been similarly designated by the United States.The State Department said it also designated Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, and his brother Laith al-Khazali, another leader of the group, as specially designated global terrorists.Such designations will freeze the U.S.-related assets of the group and the two leaders, generally ban Americans from doing business with them, and make it a crime to provide support or resources to the militia.

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