After attacks on US personnel in Syria and Iraq, the US threatened retaliation – and has now followed through with action. Two targets in eastern Syria linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were hit in airstrikes.
The US military has carried out airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria. The early morning attacks targeted targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Pentagon said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “precision strikes in self-defense are a response to a series of sustained and mostly unsuccessful attacks on US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iran-backed militia groups that began on October 17.”
President Joe Biden ordered the limited airstrikes “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel and its interests.”
The USA had threatened to retaliate
Austin emphasized that it was a separate operation carried out independently of Israel’s war against the militant Hamas. The US did not seek a broad conflict. But if Iranian proxy groups continue their actions, the United States will not hesitate to take further steps to protect its troops, Austin warned.
Only on Thursday did the USA threaten retaliation after attacks on its soldiers in Iraq and Syria. The US will determine the timing and type of response, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Several Americans injured in attacks
The threat was aimed at Iran-backed militias in the region that have claimed responsibility for or been responsible for a series of attacks on bases housing US soldiers. Such attacks had increased since the start of the Gaza war.
According to the US Department of Defense, there have been at least twelve attacks on US bases and American personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since October 17th. Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said 21 Americans were injured in two of those attacks. Drones were used against the Al-Asad air base in Iraq and the al-Tanf garrison in Syria near the border with Jordan. According to US information, those affected suffered minor injuries and are back on duty.
Biden sends direct warning to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
On Wednesday, US President Biden said that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had also been warned directly about further attacks, whether they come from Iran itself or its henchmen in the region.
“My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to act against these troops, we will respond. And he should be prepared.” When asked Thursday how this message was conveyed to Khamenei, Kirby declined to answer.