A small Islamist organization from the Gulf State of Bahrain has claimed its first attack against Israeli targets.
The Al-Ashtar Brigades, the paramilitary arm of the political opposition organization the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain, has claimed responsibility for its first attacks on Israel in support of the people of Gaza. The Al-Ashtar Brigades is a designated terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, the United States and multiple other nations due to its alleged ties to Iran.
The Al-Ashtar Brigades reportedly launched drones targeting the Israeli port city of Eilat in the Red Sea.
The group stated that it targeted the headquarters of the Israeli land transportation company "Trucknet." This move aims to disrupt diplomatic and economic ties between Bahrain and Israel, especially considering Trucknet's role in facilitating oil transfers between the two nations.
This attack underscores the complexities surrounding the normalization process between Bahrain and Israel. Despite initial progress, tensions escalated during the Gaza conflict in October, prompting Bahrain to recall its ambassador from Israel. However, by December, Bahrain signaled its commitment to maintaining normalized ties with Israel. (Related: Iranian president threatens to DESTROY ISRAEL if it tries to attack Iran again.)
Al-Ashtar Brigades launch second attack on Israel a week later
The Al-Ashtar Brigades claimed to have attacked Israeli positions a second time on May 2, with the organization once again claiming that the attack was meant to show support for the people of Palestine amid the ongoing Israeli-led genocide in Gaza.
"The Islamic Resistance in Bahrain confirms that it is continuing its movement and support at all levels for our patient people in the resistant Gaza," said the organization. "And that it will not stop its operations unless the Zionist aggression against Gaza stops."
The attack targeted vital infrastructure in the Port of Eilat. There is no evidence that either its first or second attacks on targets in Eilat have been successful. The Al-Ashtar Brigades claims its first and second drone strikes caused damage to infrastructure.
Questions have also been raised regarding the possibility that the militant organization was not operating in Bahrain when it launched the drones, with analysts from the Washington Institute noting: "The open terrain and leisurely launch sequence of the drone makes it all but impossible that this drone was launched from Bahrain, an environment where it is difficult for Iran and [the Al-Ashtar Brigades] to smuggle even persons and light weapons or explosives into the country."
"More likely, Iraqi militias facilitated (and perhaps even entirely undertook) the launch, dedicating the effort to [the Al-Ashtar Brigades] to help keep their dimming brand alive," reported the Washington Institute.
Questions have also been raised regarding Iran's possible involvement in the Islamic Resistance in Bahrain's decision to be involved in the conflict, with the organization and its military wing considered to be proxies of Tehran.
"Iran is clearly trying to set the region aflame and is using its proxies to do so," warned senior correspondent and analyst Seth J. Frantzman for The Jerusalem Post. "It is admitting this openly as part of its goal to change the regional order and use the Oct. 7 attack as part of a shift in the new world order that Iran believes is arriving."
Learn more about the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza at IsraelCollapse.com.
Watch this report from the Al-Ashtar Brigades announcing its attack on the Israeli city of Eilat.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
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