The recent Iranian proxy attack in Syria, targeting US bases, highlights a very important moment in the dynamics of the region. Tehran has investigated the policy of its formidable adversary in Syria, and so far, the outcome of the control is unlikely to deter. Iran will launch new power offensives.
On the night of March 23, an Iranian-origin drone attacked a US base in northeastern Syria. In response, the U. S. The U. S. carried out airstrikes that killed fourteen pro-Iranian fighters, a monitoring group reported. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they had targeted “facilities used through equipment affiliated with . . . [the] IRGC,” marking the first time an attack on U. S. bases in Syria claimed a casualty.
The inability of the base’s air defense systems to save it from the attack of Iran’s suicide drones raises questions.
The timing of the attack is significant. High-level visits from the U. S. militaryA U. S. approach to the region and a diplomatic rapprochement forged through China between Iran and Saudi Arabia preceded the attack. Iranian strategists could interpret those events as symptoms of U. S. weakness. The US in the Middle East and Syria. the United States to adapt its strategy and respond to the balance of power of conversion.
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – OCT. 28: Chairman of the U. S. Joint Chiefs of StaffU. S. Gen. Mark MilleyArray. raid in Syria on October 28, 2019 in Arlington, Virginia. The leader and self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State, al-Baghdadi, reportedly blew himself up with explosives when he was cornered by a US special operations team. The U. S. is at its compound in Syria. (Photo via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Recent high-level visits through the U. S. militaryU. S. troops, in which U. S. General Mark Milley was added, have raised considerations among the leaders of Iran, and Turkey, about renewed U. S. commitment to Iran. U. S. in the region.
After an unannounced visit to a base in the country’s northeast to meet with U. S. troops, Army Gen. Milley said the nearly eight-year U. S. deployment to Syria to fight Islamic State remains a threat.
The diplomatic rapprochement negotiated through China between Iran and Saudi Arabia has brought an additional layer of complexity to the regional landscape. The driving force behind the Iranian proxy attack is a mixture of concern and perceived U. S. weakness. U. S. military in Syria.
The Iranian attack came at a time when the U. S. is in the U. S. The US seemed vulnerable in the Middle East, specifically in Syria. The presence of the U. S. The U. S. military in the country is drawing complaints not only from Russia and Iran, but also from NATO partner Turkey. The United States in securing Turkey’s cooperation highlights the perceived weakness of U. S. policy in Iran’s eyes.
Moreover, the US strategy in Syria suffers from fragmentation. Washington has failed to effectively link its efforts against the Islamic State to its anti-Assad and anti-Iranian goals in the country. This fragmentation becomes evident when the US allows the Turkish government to use airspace to attack members of the Kurdish-allied and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and refrains from spreading any political popularity to Kurdish-led and US-backed groups. As a result, this combination of perceived weakness and strategic fragmentation leaves the United States exposed in the region and vulnerable to further Iranian proxy attacks.
The assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020 further strained U. S. -Iran relations, prompting Iran to promise retaliation. Although Iran has taken symbolic steps, it has not been to voice its threats as firmly as it has.
It is very likely that Iran interpreted President Biden’s comments after the attack, in which he said that the U. S. was not yet in the process of doing so. The US needed to come into conflict with Iran, as a sign of weakness. This defensive posture deters Iran, leaving the U. S. to do so. The U. S. government is vulnerable to long-term attacks.
Affirming an ambitious stance, Keyvan Khosravi, spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, referred to US retaliation on March 25. He said: “Any pretext to attack bases established at the request of the Syrian government to combat terrorism and Daesh [State, IS] within the borders of this country will get a prompt response.
Some 900 U. S. troops are operating in southern and eastern Syria, starting from the U. S. -led global coalition opposing the Islamic State (IS).
While the U. S. If the U. S. remains in a defensive position without a coherent strategy, one expects additional Iranian strikes in Syria.
Rectifying the fragmentation of the U. S. system in Syria is critical for the administration, as entities pursue disjointed strategies.
Developing a transparent strategy that links efforts against ISIS, against Assad and against Iran is for the United States to regain a foothold in the region and counter long-term Iranian attacks.