United States troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in a series of attacks in recent days, US officials announced on Thursday. The attacks came against a backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas and have prompted Washington to closely monitor the actions of Iran-backed groups.
On Wednesday, a drone strike targeted a US military base in Syria, causing minor injuries, while another drone in a different location was successfully intercepted by US forces.
One of the drone strikes targeted the Al-Tanf base near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan, while a missile attack was directed at the Conoco base in the northern Deir ez-Zor region, according to Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Al Mayadeen TV.
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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed armed Shia groups, has asserted responsibility on Friday for drone attacks targeting the Tanf airbase in Syria. In a statement released by the group, they proudly declared that their drones had achieved “direct and precise hits” on their intended targets.
Earlier this week, US forces in Iraq also successfully thwarted multiple drone attacks aimed at military personnel.
“In western Iraq, U.S. forces engaged two drones, destroying one and damaging the second, resulting in minor injuries to Coalition forces. Separately in northern Iraq, U.S. forces engaged and destroyed a drone, resulting in no injuries or damage. We are continuing to assess the impacts to operations,” the US Central Command stated.
However, on Thursday, the situation escalated further as drones and rockets targeted the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, which serves as a host to the US as well as the Global Coalition against ISIS forces.
A civilian contractor succumbed to a fatal cardiac arrest during a false alarm at Al-Asad airbase in Iraq, Reuters reported.
Furthermore, a US Navy warship in the northern Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones fired from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Thursday. According to the Pentagon, the attacks were possibly aimed at Israel.
Over the past two weeks, US President Joe Biden has deployed significant military assets to the region in response to the escalating situation, including two aircraft carriers, additional warships and around 2,000 marines.
Iran has been warning about a strong response from the “Axis of Resistance”, a term encompassing an informal military alliance involving Iran, Palestinian militant groups, the Syrian government and the Lebanese Hezbollah, since the start of the war in Gaza.
Given Iran’s extensive history of providing financial and military support to militant groups in Palestine, Western governments and media outlets have been scrutinising Iran’s role in the 7 October attacks by Hamas which led Israel to declare war, inflicting devastating consequences on Gaza’s civilian population. Iranian authorities have denied any involvement.
