Latest
US troops brace for ‘hit-and-run’ guerilla attacks as 82nd Airborne deploys to Iran, military analyst warns
Iran could significantly increase U.S. casualties if its elite military and proxy forces shift to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the region, a leading military analyst has warned.
Michael Eisenstadt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy spoke as the Pentagon moved elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division into the Middle East amid a new escalation in the conflict, according to reports.
“Iran has large infantry units in its military that are equivalent to the brigade combat team of the 82nd Airborne,” Eisenstadt, a former U.S. Army Reserve officer, told Fox News Digital.
“The 82nd Force is too small to cause significant harm to Iran, but it is large enough to be vulnerable to Iranian strikes, and this would enable Iran to significantly increase U.S. casualties,” he said.
HEGSETH WARNS ‘MORE CASUALTIES’ EXPECTED IN OPERATION EPIC FURY AGAINST IRAN
Eisenstadt, who has worked as a U.S. government military analyst, claimed that, even if major conventional operations begin to wind down in the Middle East region, the danger may only evolve rather than disappear.
“We could see an end to major combat operations, with activity shifting to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the Gulf and other gray-zone activities by Iran,” he said.
“Think of the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq, in which we had to contain the Iraqis for a decade after a very successful war.”
US COULD TAKE IRAN’S MAIN OIL EXPORT HUB ‘AT A TIME OF OUR CHOOSING,’ JACK KEANE SAYS
Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Wednesday that the U.S. has ordered the deployment of an additional 82nd Airborne forces to the region.
The contingent is expected to include Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier, the division commander, elements of his headquarters staff, and infantry battalions from the division’s Immediate Response Force.
Officials also indicated that the total number of troops ultimately sent could still change.
Eisenstadt said this new deployment is intended to increase pressure on Tehran as the U.S. pushes for new ceasefire terms, set in place by President Donald Trump.
WINNING THE BATTLES, LOSING THE WAR? AMERICA MUST DEFINE THE ENDGAME IN IRAN
“This deployment is intended to create leverage over Iran and pressure it to accept U.S. terms for a ceasefire agreement. It would also create military options if Iran rejects those terms,” he said.
In that scenario, he said, the 82nd could potentially operate alongside Marine expeditionary units in operations to seize and hold terrain, including Kharg Island, located roughly 20 miles off Iran’s Gulf coast.
U.S. forces struck military targets there March 13, destroying more than 90 Iranian military sites while deliberately sparing key oil infrastructure, according to multiple reports.
IRAN’S REMAINING WEAPONS: HOW TEHRAN CAN STILL DISRUPT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
“The brigade combat team of the 82nd could work with the 11th and 31st MEUs, or independently, to seize and hold terrain — such as Kharg Island,” Eisenstadt said.
“This would provide leverage over Iran by denying it the ability to export oil and helping end the war on terms favorable to the U.S.”
“There are risks involved though, because Iranian units on the mainland could bombard Kharg Island and inflict casualties on U.S. troops there also,” Eisenstadt said.
The latest military buildup comes as the conflict that began with Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, has also centered on the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran restricting access.
“The 82nd deployment is intended to increase psychological pressure on Iran and support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so it can once again be used by all countries,” Eisenstadt explained.
The 82nd Airborne is one of the U.S. military’s premier rapid-response units, trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key ground and airfields.
Portions of the division have also spent recent days at the Joint Readiness Training Center, sharpening infiltration, surveillance, combat and resupply skills, Axios reported.
“Iranian military officials have welcomed news of the dispatch of these units to the Gulf because it potentially creates options for them to impose costs on the U.S.,” Eisenstadt said.
Latest
Nancy Guthrie was alive when abducted, blood evidence shows ‘last stand’ on front porch: retired FBI agent
TUCSON, Ariz. — Blood spatter on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch shows she was still alive when coerced out of her home by a lone abductor in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson, according to a retired FBI profiler — who also believes that the masked suspect made enough mistakes that he will be identified eventually.
“We also know at least that she was alive at that time,” said Jim Clemente, who spent 22 years in the bureau.
That’s based on his analysis of blood on her front porch. There was a concentration of round droplets near the front door, then a thinning trail toward her driveway.
“She must have aspirated and then coughed up blood with her face very close to the ground, and I don’t believe that would have happened had two people been carrying her at that point,” he told Fox News Digital.
Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to have been kidnapped from her home around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1. For days, there were few clues about who was responsible, until the FBI and Google recovered imagery from her Nest doorbell camera that showed a masked man wearing gloves and a holstered pistol arrive on her front steps the night she vanished.
He is described as above average height and build. He was wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack, long sleeves, gloves and a ski mask. And he remains unidentified nearly 100 days later.
Still, the video is full of clues, Clemente told Fox News Digital.
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
Although the suspect is believed to have scouted the location in advance, he resorted to using foliage to block the Nest camera lens and had the potential to shed facial hair through his ski mask, Clemente said.
A $10 WALMART GUN HOLSTER COULD HELP IDENTIFY SUSPECT IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE
“In the process of doing that, I believe he revealed what looked like a tattoo on his wrist, which would not have been revealed had he adequately prepared for that camera being there,” he said.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
“So it tells me that he is not a sophisticated offender. He was sort of bumbling his way through this, and he made other mistakes, and I believe those mistakes will directly lead to his capture.”
While investigators have kept details about the inside of the home close, some have leaked, and they paint a story, Clemente said.
“I believe that what it means is he threatened her with his gun when he was at her bedside,” he told Fox News Digital. “He got her to come down, and at the front door is where she realized he’s going to take me and this is very dangerous and I should fight. And she did.”
The doorbell video does not show Guthrie being taken from her home, although there was blood clearly visible on her stone walkway. The camera itself was missing when deputies arrived the next morning. However, the fact that the FBI was able to recover video anyway likely shocked the kidnapper, Clemente said, and someone in his orbit should have been able to pick up the signs.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
“Because of all the mistakes this guy made, because of his ineptness and non-professional behavior in this, I believe that he exhibited a great degree of stress when the images were first released,” Clemente said. “Anybody around him should have noticed that change in behavior and potentially be able to identify him because of that.”
FBI HAS RECEIVED DNA DATA FROM NANCY GUTHRIE CASE: SOURCES
There was also an unidentified hair sample recovered from the home. The sheriff’s department initially sent it to a private lab in Florida. After 11 weeks, the lab there sent it to the FBI for more advanced analysis.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
“If it is a hair from the offender, then it will lead to his identification,” Clemente said. “They will have his name.”
There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that cracks the case.
To remain anonymous, contact Tucson’s 88-Crime tip line at (520) 882-7463.
The family is also urging anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Latest
‘How I Met Your Mother’ actor Nick Pasqual convicted of attempted murder for stabbing ex-girlfriend
“How I Met Your Mother” actor, Nick Pasqual, was convicted of attempted murder.
According to court records, the 36-year-old actor was found guilty of attempted murder Friday for the May 23, 2024, stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Allie Shehorn. In addition to first-degree murder, Pasqual was also found guilty by the San Fernando, Calif., jury of first-degree residential burglary with person present and injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent.
Pasqual now awaits sentencing, with his hearing scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 2.
CALIFORNIA MAN ALLEGEDLY STABBED MULTIPLE PEOPLE; WAS ARRESTED, RELEASED WEEK PRIOR
According to PEOPLE magazine, Pasqual was first arrested for domestic violence on May 18, 2024, and was later released on $50,000 bond. Shehorn’s friend, Jed Dornoff, told the magazine at the time that “as soon as he paid his bail, he came after her.”
Per ABC7, Shehorn, a Hollywood makeup artist, took the stand with scars on her neck and arms, to recount the night Pasqual got violent with her.
“I locked the door and he just started punching holes in that door and broke that open,” she said, according to ABC7. “I just ran into the bathroom because I thought there’s another lock on that door.”
The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that Shehorn had filed a restraining order against Pasqual days before he broke into her Sunland, Calif.,,home and stabbed her an estimated 20 times.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Following the attack, Pasqual allegedly fled California, and was detained at the United States/Mexico border in Sierra Blanca, Texas, according to PEOPLE.
Shehorn was found by her friend, Christine White, who told The Los Angeles Times, “I just told her to keep her hand on her throat to stop the bleeding.”
Shehorn suffered injuries to her throat, back, chest and wrists and underwent 14 hours of surgery. She later spent multiple days in the intensive care unit.
Latest
Where Trump, GOP vs Democrats redistricting battle heads next in wake of key court rulings
-
Latest4 weeks agoVance Leaves Meeting, Looks Straight Into Camera, Announces Stunning Arrest
-
News3 weeks agoAdam Schiff Facing 30 Years In Prison After Bank Records Leak
-
Latest4 weeks agoSupreme Curt Sides With Trump — He Can Remove The All
-
News4 weeks agoAll Hell Breaks Loose On Fox When Jesse Watters Asks Fetterman One Question
-
News4 weeks agoNBC Stops LIVE Broadcast — Breaks Big Trump News
-
News4 weeks agoSwalwell Facing Jail Time After Sickening New Video Leaks
-
Latest4 weeks agoTrump Pulls Off Miracle Of A Lifetime — It’s Permanently Open
-
Latest3 weeks agoUT Judge Drops Bombshell In Charlie Kirk Killer Case
