Darvish Intelligence: List of Middle Eastern Countries that have Attacked America

Sunday, March 30, 2025

List of Middle Eastern Countries that have Attacked America

Here is a list of Middle Eastern countries (or their nationals, governments, or state-backed groups) that have attacked the United States either militarily, through terrorism, or other acts of aggression since the founding of the United States. This includes both state-sponsored actions and terrorist attacks linked to actors from these nations.

⚔️ 1. Ottoman Empire (Modern-day Turkey)

Timeframe: Early 19th century
Event: Barbary Wars (1801–1815)
- The U.S. fought against the Barbary States (Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers under Ottoman suzerainty) over piracy and demands for tribute.
- These were America’s first overseas military conflicts.
- Although semi-autonomous, these states were under the Ottoman umbrella.

💣 2. Iran

Timeframe: Post-1979 Islamic Revolution
Events:
- 1979 U.S. Embassy Hostage Crisis in Tehran: 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days.
- 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing: Hezbollah (backed by Iran) killed 241 U.S. service members.
- 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia: 19 U.S. Airmen killed—blamed on Iran-backed Hezbollah Al-Hejaz.
- 2020: Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by Iran-backed militias.
- Ongoing: Iran continues to back proxy groups (like Kataib Hezbollah and the Houthis) that attack U.S. forces and assets in the Middle East.

🏴‍☠️ 3. Iraq

Timeframe: Under Saddam Hussein (Ba'ath regime)
Events:
- 1991 Gulf War: Iraq invaded Kuwait, triggering U.S.-led coalition intervention.
- 1993: Iraq plotted an assassination attempt on former President George H.W. Bush.
- 2003–2011 Iraq War: U.S. invaded Iraq over WMD concerns; Iraqi insurgents (including Ba'athists and Shia militias) fought U.S. forces.
- Militias backed by Iran in Iraq continue attacking U.S. bases and personnel.

☠️ 4. Saudi Arabia

Controversial and Indirect
Event:
- 9/11 Attacks (2001): 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
- Official Saudi government denial of involvement, but lawsuits and declassified documents have raised questions about indirect support or negligence.
- Some Saudi clerics and charities also funded radical Islamist groups prior to post-9/11 reforms.

🧨 5. Lebanon

Event:
- Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militia and political group, was responsible for:
  - 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing
  - 1984 U.S. Embassy annex bombing in Beirut
  - Multiple hostage-takings of Americans in the 1980s.

🚀 6. Syria

Timeframe: Under Hafez and Bashar al-Assad
Events:
- Hosted and aided terrorist groups attacking U.S. forces.
- Accused of allowing jihadi fighters into Iraq during the U.S. occupation (2003–2011).
- U.S. has conducted airstrikes against Iranian-backed Syrian militias attacking American troops in the region.

🛰️ 7. Yemen

Event:
- USS Cole bombing (2000): Al-Qaeda in Yemen killed 17 U.S. sailors.
- Recent attacks by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), an Iran-backed group in Yemen, targeting U.S. ships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea (2023–2024).