The attack was reportedly launched at 1:20 AM to align with the time of the US airstrike which killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
VIDEO — IRGC rockets launched from Iranian soil tonight to attack the American base Al Asad in Iraq pic.twitter.com/1SNZ0V0j29
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 7, 2020
NEW — The Iranian rockets were fired at the American base in Iraq at 1:20 am exactly when an American airstrike killed Soleimani and al-Muhandis — pro-Iran Al Mayeeden claims
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 7, 2020
"Praying our missile defense systems worked well. Days notice, (mostly) known targets, (mostly) known launch sites (many miles away), tens (not hundreds) of missiles. If they didn’t work in this scenario, when would they ever work?" Rep. Thomas Massie said after hearing of the attack.
Praying our missile defense systems worked well. Days notice, (mostly) known targets, (mostly) known launch sites (many miles away), tens (not hundreds) of missiles. If they didn’t work in this scenario, when would they ever work?
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 8, 2020
A second round of missile strikes targeted multiple American installations across Iraq:
NEW — American official: The targeted American installations include Erbil, northern Iraq, and Ain Al-Assad Air Base in Iraq, per Al Arabiya
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 7, 2020
An American jet is on fire at Ain Al-Asad base in Iraq, per Al Hadath
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 8, 2020
There have been no official reports of casualties thus far.
.@CBSDavidMartin: "A U.S. military official confirms to CBS News that a rocket attack was launched against the Al Asad Air Base, northwest of Baghdad, a short time ago. One administration official says there are no reports of casualties. About six rockets were launched." pic.twitter.com/Vxj4Vlkj1z
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 8, 2020
UPDATE: Looks like we're going to war.
BREAKING: President Trump to address the nation from the Oval Office tonight - @HotlineJosh
— LIVE Breaking News (@NewsBreaking) January 8, 2020
Be prepared, there is a small chance that our horrendous leadership could unknowingly lead us into World War III.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2013
UPDATE II:
IRAN THREATENS DUBAI & ISRAEL: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in its Telegram channel that, in the event Iranian soil is bombed, it will target the cities of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Haifa, Israel, in the third wave of operations.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2020
UPDATE III: War called off for now?
President Trump will not deliver an address following a missile attack on two Iraqi bases that house US troops, a White House official said https://t.co/3M8o7vc093 pic.twitter.com/Qbvuvc87xR
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 8, 2020
UPDATE IV: Seems like the best case scenario just occurred. There was allegedly no US casualties and Iran get to have their face saving measure (they're claiming they injured 30 US troops but that could definitely just be a lie).
#Iran accomplished its tit-for-tat & says it won't escalate further unless the US does.
— Sina Toossi (@SinaToossi) January 8, 2020
There are reports of no US casualties. Trump must exercise restraint & pursue SERIOUS diplomacy to de-escalate w/ Iran.
War would be disastrous for all sides.
BREAKING: Iran says it will stop attacking if there is no retaliation from the US
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) January 8, 2020
UPDATE V: The star of the night...
I MADE IT TO ABC LMAOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/b3hQ80ARww
— BASED SAVAGE (@BASEDSAVAGE_) January 8, 2020
UPDATE VI:
Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 8, 2020
We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.
All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2020
UPDATE VII: A Boeing 737 passenger plane carrying some 168 people headed for Ukraine crashed with no survivors in Tehran under highly suspicious circumstances.
Everyone on board the Boeing 737 that crashed near Tehran has died, the Iranian state news media reported. The plane was bound for Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. https://t.co/2TLLKseLyQ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 8, 2020
"The Ukrainian foreign ministry later revealed there were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians and three Britons on flight PS752, along with 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans and four Germans," The Daily Mail reported.
#BREAKING: Video posted by local journalists appears to show doomed Boeing 737 barreling toward the ground in Iran https://t.co/bPL6AWQFVw
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 8, 2020
pic.twitter.com/MY9SGkfn07
Speculation is running wild with some questioning whether it was shot down by anti-air defenses in Iran and others questioning whether it was shot down by the US.
RT is reporting that an Iranian airport official is blaming an "engine fire":
A Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 had suffered an engine malfunction before it went down a few minutes after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport, its official has said.
The engine caught fire when the plane was airborne, Ali Khashani, a senior public relations official at Iran’s major airport, was quoted by local media. The fatal engine failure purportedly saw the jet hitting the ground between the cities of Sharhiar and Parand early in the morning on Wednesday.
The airliner, operated by Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), carried 168 passengers and nine crew, most of whom were Iranians, according to Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.
There was also a very strange earthquake:
A 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck near #Iran's #Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. The depth and epicenter indicate it was a natural event and unrelated to this evenings events. A similar earthquake struck in late December. USGS report enclosed. https://t.co/WcfNffwSOm
— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) January 8, 2020
BREAKING: magnitude 4.9 Earthquake reported in Southern #Iran pic.twitter.com/TC4pWVl1yX
— The'Nimr'Tiger (@Souria4Syrians) January 8, 2020
While the official story so far is that it was a natural occurrence some are speculating it may have been an Iranian nuclear bomb test (though there has been no evidence Iran has been developing nukes for years) or even some sort of newfangled tectonic weapon attack.
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