2023-10-27 12:58:43
US forces have conducted strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria that they believe were used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups in response to attacks on US troops in the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said President Joe Biden ordered “precision self-defense” strikes following attacks since Oct. 17 that resulted in the death of a U.S. contractor and injured 21 American personnel. Austin warned Iran and its proxies not to threaten US forces.
“These specifically planned self-defense strikes were solely intended to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Austin said. “If attacks by Iranian proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take other necessary steps to protect our people.”
Austin stressed that he considered the US strikes to be “separate and distinct” from the Israel-Hamas war, but the development underscores how the conflict could quickly escalate into a broader conflagration. The US continues to deploy forces to the Middle East and Thursday’s attacks are believed to be the first US offensive action since Hamas’ incursion into Israel on October 7.
The US previously said it would send 900 troops to the Middle East as regional tensions rose. Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the personnel include Thaad and Patriot air defense operators. None of the troops, which are already deployed or being deployed, will go to Israel, Ryder added.
The troop deployment builds on previous decisions by the Biden administration to send more forces to the region, including two aircraft carrier groups and additional fighter jets.
Tensions between the US and Iran have increased since Hamas’ attack on Israel. Iran’s foreign minister warned this week that the US will not escape unscathed if the Hamas-Israel war escalates into a wider conflict.
Speaking at the United Nations, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran does not welcome an “expansion of war in the region” but the US “will not be spared these fires” if the war in Gaza continues.
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