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The U. S. military has introduced retaliatory airstrikes at two sites in Syria connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said.
The attacks, which took place at around 01:30 GMT, are in addition to several drone and missile attacks on U. S. bases and workers in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17.
They took two F-16 fighter jets with precision munitions and targeted a weapons and ammunition garage near Abu Kamal, a Syrian town on the border with Iraq, a U. S. official said.
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These measures reflect the U. S. government’s determination to strike a balance and deter further aggression, fueled in all likelihood by Israel’s war against Hamas.
The U. S. has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, but there are fears they could become targets if the conflict spreads across the Middle East.
According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 19 strikes on U. S. bases and workers in Iraq and 4 in Syria since last week.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 U. S. workers were wounded in two of the drone strikes on the Al Asad air base in Iraq and the Al Tanf garrison in Syria.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the measures were a “response to a series of ongoing and in most cases unsuccessful attacks” by Iranian-backed militias.
“If the Iranian proxies’ attacks on U. S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take the mandatory additional measures for our people. “
He said the U. S. had the capital, Tehran, to finance, arm, equip and direct its representatives.
Austin said President Joe Biden ordered targeted measures “to send a transparent message that the United States will tolerate such attacks and protect itself, its personnel, and its interests. “
He added that the operation is separate from Israel’s war against Hamas.
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While the U. S. has accused Iran of having a direct role in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel through Hamas militants, it has noted that Iran has long supported the militant group.
Similarly, Iranian officials have criticized the U. S. for supplying Israel with weapons that were used to attack Gaza.
This is the first time the U. S. has taken retaliatory measures against Iranian-backed forces.
Last March, the U. S. attacked sites in Syria used through equipment connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, after a U. S. contractor was killed and seven wounded in an Iran-related attack in northeastern Syria.
U. S. officials are constantly under pressure that the U. S. reaction must be proportionate and aimed at deterring measures opposed to the body of U. S. workers meant to fight the Islamic State group.