INTERNACIONAL
Iran expands it ‘shadow empire’ across Middle East as Trump pulls troops from Iraq, Syria
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Just six months after the Trump administration said it would begin drawing down U.S. forces in Syria, the U.S. confirmed this week it will also begin reducing the number of U.S. forces in Iraq under an agreement reached by the Biden administration – a move security experts warn could benefit Iran and its «shadow empire.»
Just six months after the Trump administration announced plans to draw down U.S. forces in Syria, the Biden administration confirmed this week it will also reduce troop levels in Iraq under a new agreement – a move security experts warn could strengthen Iran and its «shadow empire.»
The changes have come amid a perceived reduction in threat from the terrorist network ISIS and a growing U.S. desire to end «forever wars.»
US ‘UPS THE ANTE,’ DESIGNATES IRAN-BACKED GROUPS IN IRAQ TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS
But a reduced U.S. presence in both Iraq and Syria has security experts deeply concerned about the power vacuum it will create in both countries, and the immediate threat that Iran poses.
Iran for decades has been expanding its influence in both Iraq and Syria, and it has established a complex and highly embedded presence in the region militarily, politically, economically and socially, making it difficult to divert or thwart its influence even amid a regime change in Syria.
People wave guns in the air as they gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime in Umayyad Square Dec. 8 in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)
«The relationship between Islamic Revolutionary Iran and Syria goes all the way back to the ’80s. It’s not something that just started with the advent of the Syrian civil war,» Gregg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum, told Fox News Digital. «They took 40 years of relations and eventually turned that into an enterprise.»
Iran has used Shia militant forces from not only Syria, but Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, to construct a «parallel military infrastructure» in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that has transformed Syria into an «Iranian forward operating base.»
According to an investigative report compiled by the Middle East Forum, using on-the-ground sources embedded in Iranian military installations across Syria since 2018, Iran has not only constructed underground tunnels and weapons depots for its disposal. Tehran has embedded itself deeply into the everyday lives of Syrians through an integrated system that has blended military duties with civil programs.
It’s command structure also transcends traditional nation-state borders by integrating Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi commanders.
While Iran now faces opposition in Syria following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime with the December 2024 takeover by the Sunni paramilitary organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HST) – once deemed by the U.S. as a terrorist organization deriving from al Qaeda – Tehran has the potential to take advantage of that of lack of a unified government across Syria, as well as an immensely complex geopolitical dynamic where Israel, Turkey and Russia are all vying for more influence in the nation.
Masked Iran-backed Shi’ite fighters hold their weapons in Iraq’s Al Hadidiya, south of Tikrit, en route to the Islamic State-controlled al-Alam town, where they are preparing to launch an offensive March 6, 2015. (Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani)
IRAQI PRESIDENT SAYS NATION IS ‘100% SAFE’ AMID LINGERING ISIS, MILITIA CONCERNS
Roman pointed out that if HST, in coordination with the Kurds in the northeast or the Druze in the southwest, are not able to create a «bulwark» against Iranian influence, then Tehran could be well positioned to expand its regional interest under its «shadow empire.»
«Perhaps most concerning is the precedent established by Iran’s success in constructing this shadow empire,» the report found. «The ability to build parallel military infrastructure, operate independently of host government control, and maintain strategic capabilities despite international scrutiny provides a template that could be replicated elsewhere in the region.»
Though its strategy may be slightly different, Iran has repeatedly used power vacuums to extend its reach and counter U.S. influence, as seen in both Afghanistan, where it backed the Taliban, and in Iraq, where it began backing Shia militia groups fighting the U.S. as early as 2003.
«The Iranians have a strategy in Iraq, and it’s effective,» Bill Roggio, expert terrorism analyst and senior editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ «Long War Journal,» told Fox News Digital. «They’re using military, political and economic means to achieve their goals, and their proximity to Iraq really helps them achieve that.»
Roggio said there are hundreds of thousands of Iran-backed militants in Iraq who are largely a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were heavily influential in fighting ISIS and are a part of the Iraqi Armed Forces under the command of the prime minister, but which are also heavily influenced by Tehran.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, hold an Islamist flag after Iraqi forces retook the northern city from ISIS earlier in the month on April 5, 2015, in Tikrit, Iraq. (Mohammed Sawaf/AFP via Getty Images)
IRAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES US OF ‘GRAVE BETRAYAL’ WITH NUCLEAR STRIKES IN UNGA SPEECH
«They wield significant influence in the Iraqi government. They occupy a large, dominant block in the Iraqi parliament. And these militias also have economic power,» Roggio said. «Iran built these militia forces along the same lines as Hezbollah, and they essentially want them to ultimately become like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is in Iran.»
Both Roman and Roggio expressed concern over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region and, more significantly, the removal of U.S. influence at a time when Iran is looking to heavily counter Washington and its interests.
«We haven’t learned the lessons of Afghanistan and even the lessons of Iraq,» Roggio said. «I don’t care if we have 100 or 100,000 troops in Afghanistan or anywhere else. Do we have the right troops to achieve the mission that we put out for them?
«We talk about numbers of troops. … We’re not really talking about what is our mission in Iraq? Is it a counter-ISIS mission? Is it a stave off Iranian influence mission?
«And do we have the right mixture of military and diplomatic and political and economic influence in Iraq to achieve those goals? I don’t believe we do.»
U.S. forces provide military training to members of the YPG/SDF, which Turkey considers an extension of PKK in Syria, in the Qamisli district in the Al-Hasakah province, Syria, Aug. 18, 2023. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Both experts pointed out that the U.S. has a long history of not taking Iran and the threat it poses seriously enough, a problem that has spanned decades across both Republican and Democratic administrations.
«The Iranians are patient. They’re operating on timeframes of decades and generations. And we aren’t patient. We operate in timeframes and two and four-year election cycles,» Roggio said. «Ultimately, Iran is looking to drive the U.S. from the region and expand its influence in neighboring countries, be it Afghanistan, be it Iraq, be it the Gulf states.
«The ultimate goal is to get the U.S. out so it can expand its influence.»
iran,middle east,syria,iraq,donald trump,terrorism,world
INTERNACIONAL
YouTuber to testify before Congress on Minnesota’s massive $9B fraud network investigation
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance is holding a hearing centered around various Minnesota fraud scandals and will feature testimony from Nick Shirley, a YouTuber and freelance journalist who helped uncover an organized fraud network in the state.
The hearing, «When Public Frauds are Abused: Addressing Fraud and the Theft of Taxpayer Dollars,» will be held Jan. 21, and will focus on several cases of fraud that took place in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
«I pulled up earlier today a report from last July, and they’re interviewing [Minnesota] residents,» Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who chairs the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital. «You can’t keep anything on your porch or in your yard because it gets stolen, you get your windows broken out of your car.
«It seems lawless,» he added.
GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO AWARD CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL FOR JOURNALIST WHO EXPOSED MINNESOTA FRAUD
YouTuber and freelance journalist Nick Shirley, left, helped uncover an alleged organized fraud network in Minnesota, which is led by Gov. Tim Walz. (OutKick; Reuters/Tim Evans)
In 2022, federal officials in Minnesota launched an independent investigation into Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that prosecutors later described as a key driver of what grew into one of the largest COVID-relief fraud schemes on record.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities uncovered an estimated $250 million in fraudulent claims, leading to criminal charges against 78 individuals. Prosecutors have said the total scope of the alleged fraud connected to the operation may ultimately approach $9 billion.
The hearing will feature testimony from Shirley in addition to Jennifer Larson, CEO of the Holland Autism Center and Clinic, and former Minnesota police officer and former Minnesota fraud investigator Scott Dexter.
PAM BONDI DISPATCHES FEDERAL PROSECUTORS TO MINNESOTA FOLLOWING SOMALI FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., will be leading the subcommittee hearing targeting fraud in Minnesota. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will be joining members of the subcommittee during the hearing.
Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., will also be in attendance, and told Fox News Digital the hearing’s purpose is a matter of «transparency, accountability and safeguards that prevent this kind of abuse from happening again.»
«The scale of fraud uncovered in Minnesota is staggering, and it represents an egregious abuse of federal taxpayer dollars by criminal actors,» Lee told Fox News Digital. «The House Judiciary Committee is committed to exposing the full scope of that fraud, understanding how it was carried out, and ensuring that taxpayer funds intended to help vulnerable Americans are not diverted into the pockets of criminals.»
Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. (Madelin Fuerste / Fox News Channel)
JD VANCE ANNOUNCES MULTI-STATE FRAUD TASK FORCE IN WAKE OF MINNESOTA SCANDAL
Tensions in Minnesota rose after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a massive operation in the state, in an attempt to locate and arrest illegal migrants who have committed crimes, as well as those who may have contributed to the fraud scandal.
A historic number of ICE agents were deployed to the state, which prompted agitators to clash with federal agents.
Last week in south Minneapolis, an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman, later identified as Renee Nicole Good, during a federal enforcement operation after authorities said her vehicle charged toward agents on the street.
Good’s death sparked widespread protests and unrest in the city in the days that followed.
Members of law enforcement work the scene following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent during federal immigration operations, Jan. 7, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described Good’s actions as «domestic terrorism,» claiming she attempted to use her vehicle against federal officers.
DHS also revealed Wednesday that the officer who shot Good suffered internal bleeding as a result of the incident.
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
hearings house of representatives politics,minnesota fraud exposed,minnesota,somali immigrant community,homeland security
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Iran issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) alert late Wednesday, closing airspace to all flights except international flights with prior permission from the country.
The NOTAM will be in effect for just over two hours.
Flight tracking data showed multiple planes were either denied entry to Iran or rerouted around the country, according to the Flight Radar 24 website.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured sitting next to senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)
IRANIANS ABLE TO MAKE SOME INTERNATIONAL CALLS AS INTERNET REMAINS BLOCKED AMID PROTESTS
Minutes later, the U.S. embassies in Jerusalem, Qatar and Kuwait issued security alerts advising «increased caution,» limiting non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base, and temporarily halting movement into facilities at Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Patrio.
The U.K. Foreign Office (FCDO) also issued an advisory recommending against «all but essential travel to Israel.»
«There is a heightened risk of regional tension,» officials wrote in the advisory. «Escalation could lead to travel disruption and other unanticipated impacts.»
A U.S. official told Reuters Wednesday the Department of War was moving personnel amid rising tensions.
«All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy,» a Western military official told the outlet.
Hours before the NOTAM alert was issued, President Donald Trump told reporters from the Oval Office the killing of protesters in Iran had ended.
A masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during protests Jan. 9 in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP)
TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘STARTING TO’ CROSS US RED LINES AS PROTESTERS DIE IN GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN
«We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it’s stopped and stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution,» Trump said. «So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about.»
When asked about potential military action against the country, Trump said, «We’re going to watch and see what the process is.
«We were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.»
Demonstrators burn pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, outside the Iranian embassy in London. (Toby Melville/Reuters)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime has recently come under fire, with reports claiming more than 3,000 people have been killed amid nationwide protests over economic grievances and political repression.
Trump announced Tuesday he canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the killings stopped.
In a statement Wednesday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said Khamenei, through the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), «has turned his weapons against our people, while young Iranians, armed with little more than determination, have risen to defend and protect unarmed and innocent civilians.»
«In this ruthless confrontation, in which thousands of innocent Iranians have been killed over the past two weeks, neutrality is not an option,» NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi wrote in a statement on X. «At a minimum, the international community must recognize the legitimate struggle of Iran’s youth and Resistance Units against the #IRGC to bring an end to this regime.
«European governments must designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, an action long overdue. The regime’s embassies and representative offices should be closed, and its envoys expelled.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Iranian United Nations (UN) ambassador later sent a letter to the UN, accusing Iranian protesters of «deliberately inciting violence» and «equipping terrorist and armed groups to turn peaceful protests into political destabilization.»
Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, shared the letter on X, calling it «beyond belief.»
«This is the same regime that shoots protesters, hangs opponents, and oppresses an entire people,» Danon wrote in the post. «These are nothing but crocodile tears from a murderous regime.»
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
iran,world,defense,military,israel
Elijo el nombre de Javier Bardem, y no es al azar. Podría haber dirigido esta carta simbólica a Angelina Jolie, o a Billie Eilish, o a esa encarnación del antisemitismo más ruin que es Roger Waters. Y más allá del mundo rutilante del famoseo, la lista de dirigentes políticos que podrían merecerla pululan por todos los rincones de la demagogia. Ahí están los Pedro Sánchez, los Petro, los Mélenchon, los Iglesias…, todos esos ruidosos justicieros que escupen su propaganda desde el atrio de su soberbia moral. Muchos…, tantos…, tan presentes y estridentes hace poco tiempo, y ahora tan ausentes y callados.
Pero de todos ellos, escojo a Javier Bardem porque nadie encarna con tanta precisión la indecencia de una izquierda caviar que solo alza el puño, con impostada indignación, cuando la causa cuadra con su obsesión ideológica. Ese Bardem enfundado en el Free Palestine que cumple con todos los requisitos del activismo sectario. “Un actor comprometido”, dicen los titulares rutilantes, pero se olvidan del verbo que lo acompaña: Comprometido, depende… Depende de si Israel tiene algo que ver, o los estadounidenses, o el colonialismo capitalista, o Trump, o las derechas pérfidas… Es el prototipo del “no jews, no news”, de manera que si no hay judíos o yankees de por medio, no hay causa, no hay pancarta y no hay indignación. Son los progresistas de nuestro tiempo, tipos de grito en la manifestación y verbo acusador que deciden qué causas son dignas, y quiénes son víctimas y quiénes verdugos. Nunca, en la historia de la lucha por los derechos humanos, hubo tanta hipocresía arrogante y rastrera como ahora.
¿Dónde están? ¿Dónde estuvieron? Nunca los oímos cuando Hamas convertía Gaza en una cárcel de dos millones de personas, a las que saqueaba, empobrecía, reprimía y condenaba a un ciclo permanente de violencia. Nunca los oímos cuando el Yemen languidecía en años de guerra atroz, sacudida por la locura chiíta. Nunca, cuando Irán fabricaba su círculo de fuego, aupando al dictador sirio, financiando las peores organizaciones yihadistas y destruyendo el Líbano, mientras amenazaba con destruir a Israel. Tampoco los oímos cuando miles de israelíes sufrieron el terror del 7 de octubre: bebés en sus cunas, familias enteras, ancianos, jóvenes cantando en un festival, muertos, heridos, secuestrados. Su silencio, cuando las mujeres nos explicaban el horror de sus cuerpos violados. Su silencio cuando los bebés eran ahogados… Nunca hubo flotillas para ellos.
Y otros, tantos silencios. Nunca los oímos cuando Afganistán se convertía en un terrible infierno para las mujeres, las niñas sin escuelas, las jóvenes sin rostro, el aliento detrás de una cárcel de tela. Nunca en el horror de Sudán, nunca en el dolor cristiano en Nigeria, nunca en ningún lugar, porque si los malos no son los que ellos homologan ideológicamente, no existen víctimas, ni existen causas.
Por eso nunca les oímos hablar del dolor de los iraníes. A pesar de que el terrible régimen de los ayatollahs hubiera convertido la libertad en un crimen penal, y sustentara su poder en la represión y la muerte, nunca oímos a los Bardem. Al contrario, fueron esas izquierdas moralistas y doctrinarias las que antaño iban a visitar al “libertador de los persas”, un tal Khomeini y aplaudieron su “revolución social”. Durante décadas, nunca les preocupó la represión contra los ciudadanos iraníes, directores de cine encarcelados, opositores condenados a muerte, estudiantes torturados, nunca, nada… Al contrario: algunos de esos gurús de la izquierda irredenta se convirtieron en periodistas de los canales iraníes que intentaban vender su veneno a través de Hispan TV. Ahí están los Pablo Iglesias.
Y por eso ahora, cuando Irán arde por todos sus costados, con un pueblo extraordinariamente valiente que se enfrenta directamente a la muerte, y con miles de ellos siendo asesinados, todos estos actores, periodistas, políticos “comprometidos” no están, no hablan, no gritan, no levantan pancartas, no montan excursiones en flotillas, nada. Quizás alguna Irene Montero se despista y dice algo pero solo para avisar que Trump es muy malo y que Israel tiene la culpa de lo que ocurre en Irán.
Esta es la miseria de una izquierda tuerta y dogmática que ha ideologizado tanto las causas universales, que acaba siendo cómplice de los verdugos. Su obsesión antioccidental y su paternalismo arrogante hacia el Islam los ha convertido en incapaces para la causa de la libertad. Hablan mucho de ella, pero retuercen su significado hasta dejarla hueca.
Ese es el activismo de los Bardem de turno: un grito vacío. Moralistas de doble moral y progresistas a tiempo parcial, no forman parte de la solución, pero sin ninguna duda, forman parte del problema.
X: @RaholaOficial
Web: https://pilarrahola.com
Instagram: pilar_rahola
Alejandro Garnacho anotó doblete en la derrota 3-2 de Chelsea ante Arsenal, por la EFL Cup
YouTuber to testify before Congress on Minnesota’s massive $9B fraud network investigation
PJ Bonaerense: Magario acelera y suma afiliaciones para competir, a la espera de negociar con el kirchnerismo
Iran shuts down airspace; foreign officials warn against travel to Israel
Tras el salto de la inflación, el Banco Central aceleró la compra de dólares y el Tesoro subió las tasas en pesos
El Gobierno declaró como organización terrorista a la “Hermandad Musulmana”: quiénes son y los motivos
Murió el cantante colombiano Yeison Jiménez en un accidente de avión: el video del día que predijo la tragedia
La triste despedida de Jorge “Corcho” Rodríguez a Pía, su asistente por 30 años: “Gracias por tu amor”
La AFA giró US$8 millones a cinco empresas en Miami que ya no existen: un argentino disolvió hace seis días una firma clave
“¡Muerte a Estados Unidos!»: el Parlamento de Irán redobla las amenazas contra las tropas de Trump tras la sangrienta represión a las protestas
CHIMENTOS2 días agoLa triste despedida de Jorge “Corcho” Rodríguez a Pía, su asistente por 30 años: “Gracias por tu amor”
- POLITICA2 días ago
La AFA giró US$8 millones a cinco empresas en Miami que ya no existen: un argentino disolvió hace seis días una firma clave
- POLITICA1 día ago
Con el respaldo de Axel Kicillof, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia seguirá al frente del Ceamse con un sueldo millonario
