ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States forces on Thursday targeted two facilities belonging to pro-Iran militias and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in response to recent drone attacks on American troops in Syria and Iraq, the Secretary of Defense announced.
“Today, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The strikes were a “response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks” that targeted the US forces in bases in Iraq and Syria over the past 10 days, he said.
“The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities,” Austin said, adding “If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people.”
US forces in Iraq and Syria as part of an international coalition to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) have been the target of a recent spate of drone and rocket attacks blamed on Iran-backed militia groups angry over Washington’s support for Israel in its war against Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Austin said the retaliatory strikes in Syria on Thursday were “separate and distinct” from Israel’s war on Hamas and do not constitute a shift in Washington’s approach to the war in the Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden sent a message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei warning him against the attacks on US forces in Syria and Iraq, the White House’s National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters earlier on Thursday.
"There was a direct message relayed. That's as far as I'm going to go," Kirby said, declining to detail how the message was delivered.
The pro-Iran Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for most of the recent drone and rocket attacks against American troops, including one on Thursday against US forces based near Erbil airport. The drone attack was confirmed by Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder who said there was some minor damage but no casualties.
Ryder said that US forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked with suicide drones and rockets at least 16 times between October 17 an 26. One civilian contractor died of a heart attack and at least 21 personnel have received minor injuries.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani to pursue the attackers of US bases and troops in Iraq.
Sudani’s spokesperson Maj. Gen. Yehia Rasool last week said American and other international forces are in the country on Baghdad’s invitation and attacks on bases housing them are “unacceptable.”
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