questions and answers
85 targets in two countries: What we know about the US retaliation in Syria and Iraq
US President Joe Biden bows to the carrying cases containing the remains of three soldiers killed in a drone strike in Jordan
© Alex Brandon / AP / DPA
The United States is retaliating after the attack on a US base in Jordan that left three US soldiers dead. What is the situation in the conflict region? What is currently known.
US military bases in Iraq and Syria are attacked daily by pro-Iranian militias. The background is the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In solidarity with those in power in the sealed-off coastal strip, the Yemeni Houthis repeatedly attack freighters in the Red Sea. They defend themselves against attacks on land and water United States, for its part, with attacks. But the US air strikes have not yet deterred the militias from further attacks. After the recent attack on a US military base in Jordan, retaliatory attacks are taking on new proportions. Concerns about an escalation in the region are growing.
How does it go from here? The most important questions and answers:
Why did the US attack Syria and Iraq?
Three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a US military base in Jordan near the Syrian border. Numerous other soldiers were injured. The “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” claimed responsibility for the attack. It is a kind of umbrella group for pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, which have been operating together under this general name since October 7th. It is supported by Iran, is one of the strongest militias in Iraq and is calling for the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
Where did the retaliatory attacks take place?
In response to the deaths of the three US soldiers, US forces bombed more than 85 targets in seven different locations in Iraq and Syria. The US regional command, Central Command, which is responsible for the Middle East, said that these included command and intelligence centers as well as missile and drone depots of militias and the Al-Quds Brigades of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which enabled attacks against US and allied forces. In addition, more than 125 precision rockets or precision bombs were used. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported attacks near al-Majadin in Deir Essor province.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the attacks lasted about 30 minutes. B-1 long-range bombers launched in the USA were also involved in the military operation.
Security circles in Iraq recently reported that positions of pro-Iranian militias had been attacked in western Iraq, particularly near al-Kaim on the border with Syria. According to initial information, a weapons depot had been bombed, an Interior Ministry official told the AFP news agency.
A representative of the pro-Iranian Hashd al-Shaabi network confirmed the attack and another attack further south. The Iraqi government condemned the US airstrikes as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.” Kirby later emphasized that the US government had warned the Iraqi government in advance of the attacks.
The militant group Islamic Resistance also reported attacks on the al-Harir air base in northern Iraq, where US soldiers are also said to be stationed. However, insiders rejected the reports when asked by the Reuters news agency.
What are the number of victims?
According to official information and statements from activists, at least 34 people were killed in the retaliatory attacks. A government spokesman in Baghdad said there were also civilians among the 16 deaths in Iraq. He didn’t give a number. There were also 25 injuries and damage to residential buildings and private property belonging to Iraqis. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 18 members of pro-Iranian militias were also killed in Syria on Saturday night.
How do the parties to the conflict react?
The Iraq sharply criticized the US military strikes in the country. These violated Iraq’s sovereignty, with unforeseeable consequences, said the spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces in a televised statement on Saturday night. The US attacks pose a threat “that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseeable consequences, and their consequences will be terrible for the security and stability in Iraq and the region,” the military spokesman warned.
Also the Syrian government in Damascus condemned the US military’s retaliatory attacks on targets in Syria and Iraq. What the US did helped fuel the conflict in the Middle East in a very dangerous way, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.
US President Joe Biden said in a written statement shortly after the backlash in the two countries: “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.” The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world, he stressed. “But for all those who wish to harm us, know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also said: “There will be more attacks from us.” The Iraqi government had been informed in advance that there would be a counterattack from the USA. He described the previous attacks as successful, but did not provide any further details.
The Iran has strongly condemned US airstrikes on dozens of pro-Iranian militia positions in Iraq and Syria. “These adventurous attacks will only lead to more tension and instability in the region,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani. He accused the USA of trying to cover up Israeli war crimes in Gaza. This is a “strategic miscalculation” by the US government and will only draw Washington further into the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the spokesman said, according to the State Department’s web portal.
What does the global community say?
Germany’s European Minister of State Anna Lührmann described the attacks on US bases in recent weeks as irresponsible and defended the retaliatory attacks. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said: “Iran’s proxies have been playing with fire for months and years – and now it is burning them.”
Great Britain also positioned itself clearly on the side of the USA. Both countries began coordinated attacks last month on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who in turn have repeatedly attacked merchant ships in the Red Sea. “The UK and US are loyal allies. We would not comment on their operations, but we support their right to respond to attacks,” a British government spokesman said.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib was much more critical. She said there was now a real risk that the Middle East crisis would spread. EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell also warned of a further escalation of tensions. The Middle East is a “cauldron that could explode,” said the Spaniard on Saturday on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Everyone involved is called upon to make every effort to avoid an escalation.