The Pentagon has announced that the U.S. military carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria targeting locations linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These “precision self-defense strikes” were ordered by President Joe Biden in response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that these attacks began on October 17 and have been mostly unsuccessful. However, specific information about the targets and other details has not been provided.
Secretary Austin emphasized that the safety of U.S. personnel is the President’s top priority, and these strikes aim to make it clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks. The Pentagon has reported at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria by Iran-backed forces since October 17. Twenty-one U.S. personnel were injured in two of these assaults, which utilized drones to target al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria. All injured personnel have since returned to duty, but one U.S. citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident during the attacks.
It was confirmed that President Biden sent a “direct message” to Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning against targeting U.S. troops in the Middle East. However, the Pentagon clarified that these strikes are unrelated to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and do not indicate a shift in the U.S.’s approach to that conflict.
Secretary Austin stressed that these strikes were meant solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. The United States intends to avoid a broader conflict but will not hesitate to take additional action if Iranian proxy groups continue their attacks. The Pentagon and the White House had previously made it clear that a response was imminent, with the U.S. reserving the right to self-defense.