US Airstrike on Pro-Iran Militias in Syria: "Separate Issue from Gaza Conflict"

Retaliation Intensifies as US Military Base Attacks Increase
Preemptive Measures to Block Hamas-Linked Movements

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that it conducted airstrikes with fighter jets on two militia facilities in eastern Syria linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The airstrikes are interpreted as retaliation and a warning in response to ongoing attacks by pro-Iranian militias across Syria and Iraq targeting U.S. military bases in the region. As concerns rise over possible connections between pro-Iranian militias in the Middle East and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, U.S. military airstrikes to preempt such threats are expected to increase.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to CNN on the 26th (local time), Patrick Ryder, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, stated during a press briefing that "in the early hours of the day, two F-16 fighter jets conducted airstrikes using precision-guided munitions on weapons and ammunition storage facilities in Abu Kamal near the Syria-Iraq border linked to the IRGC." The Department of Defense emphasized that this airstrike was carried out as retaliation following attacks by Iranian-backed armed groups on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria on the 18th, which resulted in nearly 20 casualties.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also said in a statement, "This airstrike was conducted under the orders of President Joe Biden and is solely for the self-defense of U.S. forces," stressing that "it is separate from the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip." He further strongly criticized Iran, saying, "Iran wants to deny its role by hiding behind attacks on our troops, but we will not allow such actions."

Earlier, on the 25th, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei that if Iran continues to oppose U.S. forces in the Middle East, "we will respond as well."

Taking advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, pro-Iranian armed groups across the Middle East have launched numerous attacks on U.S. forces stationed in various regions, which is interpreted as an effort to block these movements and sever ties with Hamas. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, since the 17th, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and an additional 4 attacks in Syria.

Meanwhile, approximately 2,500 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria. These troops are deployed to monitor the movements of extremist armed groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and to prevent terrorist activities.