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An outbreak of deadly violence between US forces and suspected Iranian proxies in Syria has reignited long-simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran, as President Biden warned Iran on Friday that violent attacks on American troops would face retaliation.
“The United States does not seek — stress — conflict with Iran,” Biden said in a speech in Ottawa alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after US warplanes carried out retaliatory strikes over the death of an American contractor. “But be prepared that we will act vigorously to protect our people. That’s exactly what happened last night.”
Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon that the operation, conducted overnight on Biden’s orders, was intended to “send a very clear message that we are serious about protecting our personnel and that we are moving fast.” and will respond decisively when threatened.”
The violence that has erupted in Syria in recent days highlights the risk of escalation at a moment when Washington and Tehran continue to have sharp disagreements over issues such as Iran’s nuclear program, the country’s support for Middle East militants and, since last year on providing Iran have military technology to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
The president’s comments underscored his attempt to avoid further violence while stemming attacks by proxy forces, which have long posed a threat to Americans in Iraq, Lebanon and beyond.
A drone strike kills a US contractor in Syria, prompting aerial retaliation
The bloodshed began Thursday when a self-detonating drone struck a US facility in northeastern Syria where hundreds of American troops are deployed to dismantle them in an anti-terrorist mission begun years ago the Islamic State. After the contractor’s death, five U.S. troops and a second contractor were wounded in the attack, which Biden administration officials promptly linked to Tehran-trained and armed militias.
American F-15 fighter jets then carried out two airstrikes, Ryder said. The jets targeted installations belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, an elite Iranian force that has attacked and repelled US troops in Syria through his network of proxies.
Hours later, Ryder said, 10 rockets were fired at Green Village, a US military position about 100 miles south of Thursday’s attack. The Pentagon also linked these attacks to Iran-backed militias, but said no US or coalition personnel were injured or US equipment was damaged.
The incidents come as Saudi Arabia, a Central American partner in the Middle East, begins a dramatic rapprochement with Iran. The tentative agreement to resume diplomatic ties after years of antagonism under a China-brokered deal this month underscores Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East as America refocuses on what officials see as greater threats from Russia and China.
China mediates a détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia and raises eyebrows in Washington
While the United States continues to maintain a large military presence in the region, US leaders hope to avoid the long, costly combat missions that have dominated American foreign policy in the decades after 9/11.
Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the top US military officer overseeing operations in the Middle East, told lawmakers this week that groups with ties to Iran have carried out 78 attacks on US personnel in the region since January 2021, a higher number than previously announced.
Thursday’s drone strike came outside the northeastern city of Hasaka, where thousands of Islamic State fighters have been arrested after the collapse of their self-proclaimed caliphate over the past decade. Some of the wounded were taken to a medical facility in Iraq, officials said. All were in stable condition on Friday.
None of the victims have been identified. The New York Times reported Friday that the facility’s air defenses were not fully operational when the attack occurred. The incident is being reviewed internally, Ryder said, and officials planned to review what additional “mitigating measures” might be needed to ensure American personnel are protected from possible future attacks. He declined to elaborate further.
Activist group Deir Ezzor 24, which has sources in the area where the airstrikes took place, said four members of militias with ties to Iran were killed near the city of Deir al-Zour and that others, including Iraqi citizens, were killed became. were wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British group that documents violence in the region, said 11 people were killed in the airstrikes. Ryder said Friday that the Pentagon is continuing to assess casualties from the operation.
Biden consulted with his national security team before authorizing the airstrikes, White House spokesman John Kirby said CNN on Friday. The president decided to act “very, very quickly” after receiving recommendations from senior defense leaders and intelligence agencies, Kirby said.
The violence underscores the ongoing instability in Syria, where 12 years after the civil war began, the country is a patchwork of areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Kurdish and other forces. Assad’s government is backed by Russia and Iran.
About 900 American employees, supported by hundreds of contractors, are stationed in Syria where they work with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group. Another 2,500 US soldiers are in Iraq.
Kirby described the region where Thursday’s attack took place as “dangerous” and said American personnel deployed there are primarily focused on enduring “the defeat” of the Islamic State. “We have made it very clear to the Iranians and our partners how serious our mission in Syria is and how much we will protect that mission,” Kirby said. “Iran should not be involved in supporting these attacks on our facilities and people.”
Kurilla told lawmakers that Tehran now possesses the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East and the largest and most capable unmanned aerial vehicle force in the region.
“The progress of Iran’s military capabilities over the past 40 years is unprecedented in the region; In fact, today’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is unrecognizable from five years ago,” he told the House of Representatives on Thursday.
In a statement released after the airstrikes, the general said the United States had “scalable options” should tensions with Iran or its proxies escalate further.
Thursday’s violence marks the latest flashpoint as Iran and its supporters work to drive the United States out of the region.
In 2018, President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran also sparked violence in Iraq.
When Iran-linked militias fired volleys of missiles at the US embassy in Baghdad and coalition bases across the country, killing and wounding Iraqi and foreign troops, Trump responded by ordering the assassination of a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, and authorizing airstrikes militias in Iraq and Syria.
Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at US military positions, 11 of which detonated at Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq. The blasts destroyed planes and buildings and left craters on the base, with more than 100 US soldiers suffering traumatic brain injuries.
Tensions have eased in recent months, but the attacks remain a concern for the US-led coalition.
Louisa Loveluck in London contributed to this report.