Iran-backed militants have attacked U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria at least four times in the past 24 hours, raising the number of attacks to 52 in less than a month, a U.S. defense official told VOA.
“These attacks must stop, and if they don’t stop, then we will not hesitate to do what is necessary, again, to protect troops,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at a news conference in Seoul on Monday (13/ 11).
The four attacks came after US forces carried out strikes on two Iran-linked locations in Syria on Sunday (12/11) evening in response to attacks on US personnel. The attack, according to the US military, hit a training facility near Abu Kamal and a safe house near Mayadin.
This is the third round of US strikes against targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in recent weeks. US fighter jets last week targeted weapons storage sites in Syria and attacked two facilities in Syria in the early hours of October 27 (Syrian time) which the US said were used by Iran and Iranian proxies.
In the latest attack on US forces on Monday (13/11), several one-way drones were launched at the Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria. One drone was shot down while another fell on the garrison. The attack did not cause any casualties but damaged several tents.
Most of these attacks were thwarted by the US military or failed to reach their targets, resulting in no casualties or damage to infrastructure, defense officials said.
However, some of these attacks have left 56 US military personnel injured, ranging from traumatic brain injuries to being hit by shrapnel or having ruptured eardrums.
All of the injured personnel returned to duty despite their injuries, but two US personnel who had been treated for traumatic brain injuries and initially returned to duty were sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further examination “out of an abundance of caution,” said Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder.
One of the US contractors at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq suffered a heart attack and died while taking cover when a false warning of an airstrike was raised.
The US has increased its presence in the region to protect its forces and prevent bad actors, including Iran and its proxies, the Houthis and Hezbollah, and others from expanding the Israel-Hamas conflict. (my/lt)