Picture: for illustration purposes
In a demand for peace and deterrence of Iran’s alleged invasive activities, the United States announced it launched attacks on two facilities in Syria, used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iran-supported groups. The US response, authorised by President Joe Biden, comes on the back of consistent harassment of US forces in Iraq and Syria, according to the Pentagon.
Pushing for cessation of Iran-backed attacks on US forces, US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, disclosed that the US retaliation was ‘narrowly-tailored strikes’ necessary for self-defense. He maintained that the strikes bore no connection to the present Israel-Hamas conflict and the US had no wish to get more embroiled in the region's conflicts.
Austin said, “Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against US forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people.”
The US Department of Defense declared that US and coalition forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have endured at least 16 attacks from ‘Iranian-backed militia groups’. This has resulted in 21 US personnel injury cases, mostly traumatic brain injuries.
Meanwhile, the regional tension flares amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which has raised concerns of a broader regional face-off. Iran is known to back both Hamas, ruling Gaza, and Lebanon's Hezbollah group, both of which have had recent clashes with Israel.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, warned on Thursday at the United Nations that in the event of Israel’s continued assault on Gaza, the US would “not be spared from this fire”.