The United States launched two airstrikes in Syria early this Friday against facilities used by Iran’s associates. At a time of maximum tension in the Middle East, with the danger of it spilling over into the confrontation between Israel and Palestine, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III announced that this was retaliation for the rocket attacks and drone attacks that have suffered by US forces at bases in Iraq and Syria in recent days.
The two bombings are an attempt to send a clear signal to Tehran to stop these attacks, because the Biden administration considers that this is the hand behind it. Washington does tightrope walking exercises in an area where any spark can ignite a fire with unpredictable results. This punishment represents a significant escalation against bases that the Iranian forces themselves use, in addition to the militias in Iraq and Syria that they arm and train.
“U.S. forces have conducted two self-defense strikes on facilities in Syria used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran and other affiliated groups,” Austin said in a statement. “These precision strikes are a response to a series of ongoing attacks. and mostly unsuccessful against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed groups that began on October 17,” he insisted. Ten days earlier, Hamas launched its terrorist coup against Israel.
In the midst of the tension in that region, Austin pointed out that these operations “are unrelated and separate from the conflict between Israel and Hamas” and clarified that they do not represent a change in the US approach to that confrontation.
“The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention or desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks on US forces are unacceptable and must end,” he said.
As a result of the attacks on US personnel, one contractor died of cardiac arrest while under shelter-in-place orders, while 21 people suffered minor injuries. “All of these wounded have since returned to their duties,” said the Secretary of Defense.
“The president has no higher priority than the safety of American personnel and has directed this action to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such aggression and will defend its personnel and interests. Iran wants to hide its hand and denies its role in the attack on our troops. We will not allow it,” Austin stressed in his statement.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, and Israeli revenge in the Gaza Strip began, Biden and his advisers have sought to contain that conflict and prevent it from expanding into a regional confrontation with Iran and its partners. in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The Pentagon has increased its presence in the area in recent weeks, with ships and planes patrolling in the Persian Gulf.
But these attacks have been recorded, at least 16, against US interests. At his press conference Wednesday at the White House, alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden put Iran on notice. “My warning to the Ayatollah is that if they continue to attack our troops, we will respond. They must be prepared,” he stressed.
The reply was given this Thursday by the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, at the emergency UN General Assembly due to the warmongering between Hamas and Israel. “The United States will not be saved from this fire if the war in Gaza does not end,” he said.
