This is important:
“American intelligence officials monitoring communications between Kataib Hezbollah and General Suleimani's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps learned that the Iranians...had NOT INTENDED TO ESCALATE the low-level conflict.”
“American intelligence officials monitoring communications between Kataib Hezbollah and General Suleimani's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps learned that the Iranians...had NOT INTENDED TO ESCALATE the low-level conflict.”
2. Trump-Pompeo claim—to the American public, Congress, and United Nations—has been that the Iranians were engaging in an “escalating series of armed attacks”—citing the Dec. 27 attack that killed an American.
Turns out not to be true.
US reports to Congress, United Nations👇
Turns out not to be true.
US reports to Congress, United Nations👇
3. One would think Congress, the public, the U.N. should have been told that the Intelligence Community assessed the Dec. 27 strike to have been unintentional in its effect of escalating the conflict and killing US/coalition member.
More from the NYT scoop:
More from the NYT scoop:
4. NYT’s scoop significantly changes what we’ve been told about the threat landscape. Goes from escalating and imminent attacks to something very different.
It also suggest the United States may have escalated—in a disproportionate and unnecessary—reaction to the Dec. 27 attack.
It also suggest the United States may have escalated—in a disproportionate and unnecessary—reaction to the Dec. 27 attack.
5. Recall that the U.S. response to the Dec. 27 attack was to strike KH forces—who are subunits of the Iraqi army (yes, Iraq’s state military)—leaving around 25 fighters dead.
justsecurity.org/67917/united-s…
justsecurity.org/67917/united-s…
