The United States Armed Forces launched strikes against two facilities in eastern Syria, where pro-Iranian militias are said to be located, in response to recent attacks against their military bases in the region.
The Secretary of the US Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, stated in a statement that these were “accurate self-defense attacks” against the locations of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and “affiliated groups.”
“These self-defense attacks, which are limited in scope, are intended solely to protect and defend US personnel in Iraq and Syria. “They are independent and separate from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement), and not a change in our approach to conflict,” he explained.
In this sense, the head of the Pentagon urges “all state and non-state entities not to take actions that could lead to a wider conflict in the region,” saying that Washington “does not seek conflict and has no intention or desire to get involved” in new battles.
“But these Iranian-backed attacks on US forces are unacceptable and must stop. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in the attacks against our forces. We will not be allowed,” he emphasized before warning that they would not hesitate to take “necessary steps to protect” the American people.
Likewise, Austin indicated that attacks by armed groups were “mostly unsuccessful” and recalled that one contractor died of a heart attack while taking shelter and 21 other workers suffered minor injuries. age damage.
“The president (Joe Biden) has no higher priority than the safety of American personnel and ordered action today to make it clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” he said.
Attacks, MISSILES AND DRONES
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a coalition of Iraqi militias backed by Iran, claimed responsibility in recent hours for two new attacks against two military bases, one of which is in northeastern Syria and the other in northern Iraq.
Throughout the afternoon of this Thursday, the group published short statements on its Telegram channel, indicating that they launched “a barrage of missiles” against the base of Al Shadadi, in the Syrian governorate of Al Hasaka, and that they “hit” the military base in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, with two drones.
Washington, which has sent 900 military personnel to the Middle East because of the security situation in the region, recently singled out Iran, saying it “actively facilitated” these attacks, which it admitted were by Tehran-backed militias that claimed to be acting in response to Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip following attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
The Israeli Army’s bombardment against the enclave left more than 7,000 Palestinians dead, including nearly 3,000 children, in a period of more than two weeks. In addition to that, more than a hundred Palestinians have died in the West Bank in clashes between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and settlers.
