Armed groups target U.S. Bases despite Biden’s warnings
Armed groups continue to shell U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq in response to Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip.
A group calling itself “Islamic Resistance” announced that it “targeted the U.S. occupation base in T2, Syria with two drones that hit their targets directly,” according to a statement released this Saturday. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has threatened to take further action in response to the attacks.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Iran-linked militias launched new attacks on U.S.-led coalition bases in eastern and northeastern Syria on Friday. A massive explosion was heard at the U.S. base known as the Green Village in the eastern Deir ez-Zor region. No information on potential casualties was immediately available. The observatory also noted that powerful explosions were heard at the U.S.-led coalition base in the Khirbet al-Jir area near al-Malikiyah, suggesting that Iran-linked militias may have been behind this attack as well.
Iran-linked militias had previously claimed responsibility for a rocket attack there last Wednesday. Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict on October 7th, Iran-linked militias in Iraq and Syria have claimed responsibility for about 20 attacks, primarily targeting bases used by U.S. forces.
As these attacks escalate, President Biden said in a speech to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday that the United States is “prepared to take more actions” following attacks carried out by Iran-linked groups on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. His statements came after U.S. fighter jets conducted airstrikes in eastern Syria last Friday.
The White House announced on Friday that the U.S. strikes carried out on Thursday in Syria targeted ammunition depots linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, stating that the operation will have a “significant” impact on the offensive capabilities of Tehran-affiliated groups in the region.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, said that the strikes “directly targeted storage facilities and ammunition depots that we know will be used to support these militias, especially in Syria.”
Furthermore, U.S. forces shot down an attack drone near the Ain al-Asad base, where they are stationed in western Iraq on Friday, according to a U.S. military official.
President Biden sent a message to Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that any attack on U.S. forces threatens to expand the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Khamenei, Iran’s top authority, accused the United States on Wednesday of “managing the crime in Gaza,” where Israel has been carrying out airstrikes against Hamas since the group’s attack on October 7th.
