Syria
The US president says he does not seek conflict with Iran but warns of consequences if Tehran-backed forces and US personnel launch attacks
Portal
Sat 25 Mar 2023 02:12 GMT
President Joe Biden has warned Iran that the United States will “act vigorously” to protect Americans after the US military carried out airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in retaliation for an attack in Syria.
“Make no mistake: The United States … is not seeking conflict with Iran, but be prepared that we will act vigorously to protect our people,” Biden told reporters during a visit to Canada.
When asked if Iran should incur higher costs, Biden replied, “We’re not going to stop.”
Officials said a US soldier was wounded in the latest rebellion attack between Iran-backed forces and US personnel in Syria on Friday.
It comes after an attack on Thursday that killed an American contractor and wounded five US troops and another contractor. Washington said a drone of Iranian origin was used in that attack.
US strikes Iran-backed group in Syria after deadly attack on coalition base
Two US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it appeared the base’s defense system had failed. A US official told Portal that ground forces did not appear to have had enough time to respond to the drone.
Although US forces stationed in Syria have been attacked with drones before, fatalities are rare.
The violence could further exacerbate already strained relations between Washington and Tehran as attempts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers have stalled and Iranian drones are used by Russia against Ukraine.
The Pentagon said US F-15 jets hit two facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria, said eight pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the US strikes. Portal could not independently confirm the toll.
According to two local sources, suspected US rocket fire on Friday targeted new areas in eastern Syria with no reported casualties. Pro-Iranian forces in Syria said in an online statement late Friday that they had a “long arm” to respond to further US attacks on their positions.
Iran’s state press television said no Iranians were killed, citing local sources as saying the target was not an Iran-allied military post but a rural development center and a grain center near a military airport that had been hit.
The US attacks were in response to a drone strike earlier Thursday on a base near Hasakah in northeastern Syria run by a US-led coalition fighting what remains of Islamic State.
Three service members and one contractor had to be evacuated to Iraq for medical reasons while two wounded American troops were treated at the base. On Friday, the Pentagon said the injured personnel were in stable condition.
A US base at the Al-Omar oil field in Syria was attacked on Friday morning, according to Lebanese pro-Iranian TV station Al Mayadeen and a security source.
It is not uncommon for Iran-backed groups to fire missiles at US bases in Syria after being hit by airstrikes.
US forces were first stationed in Syria during the Obama administration’s campaign against Islamic State and worked with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. There are about 900 US troops in Syria, most of them in the east.
US troops have been attacked by Iran-backed groups about 78 times since early 2021, according to the US military.
While the Islamic State has lost the areas in Syria and Iraq it ruled in 2014, sleeper cells are still conducting hit-and-run attacks in deserted areas where neither the US-led coalition nor the Syrian army have the exercise full control.
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