It is the second time in about two weeks that Washington has targeted an area of Syria it says is linked to Iran. The US also blames Tehran-backed forces for increasing attacks on its troops in the Middle East.
The United States is seeking to deter Iran and its proxies from turning the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas into a regional war, but repeated attacks and retaliatory strikes risk a conflict between Washington and Tehran.
“The US military conducted a self-defense strike against a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliates. This strike was carried out by two US F-15 fighter jets at the weapons depot,” according to L. Austin’s statement.
“This precise self-defense strike is in response to attacks by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates against US personnel in Iraq and Syria,” he said, adding that the United States “is fully prepared to take any further necessary measures to protect our people and facilities.”
“The president has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, so he ordered today’s actions to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel and its interests.”
A call to stop attacking American personnel
Currently, about 2.5 thousand are serving in Iraq. American soldiers, and in Syria – about 900 soldiers who are trying to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group.
A senior US defense official said the strike was coordinated “with very clear messages through multiple channels”. He said senior Iranian leaders had been told that the groups they support would stop attacking American personnel stationed in the Middle East region.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said nine people linked to Iran-backed groups were killed in the strike.
“Nine people working for Tehran-backed groups were killed in US strikes on facilities used by pro-Iranian groups,” SOHR chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
A senior US military official said the area in Deir ez-Zor province was under surveillance so that the United States could choose the right moment to strike to minimize casualties. He added that the strike may have taken some toll, however.
“Right before the strike, we only observed a couple (of people) about whom we have no confirmation,” he said.
AFP/Scanpix photo/US troops in Syria
Late last month, Washington also struck two facilities in Syria that the US says were used by the IRGC and its affiliates. There were no reports of casualties in this attack.
The U.S. says the latest and earlier strikes were in response to attacks on American personnel, which Washington says have come under more than 40 missile and drone attacks since mid-October.
The increase in attacks on US troops is linked to the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which began when the group launched a surprise attack on October 7 that Jewish officials said killed more than 1,400 people. people.
The Israeli military responded with an unrelenting assault on the Gaza Strip, which, according to the territory’s health ministry, has killed more than 10,500 people. persons.
#Pentagon #military #airstrike #weapons #depot #eastern #Syria
2024-09-27 00:03:09
