Armed groups close to Iran have threatened to attack American bases in the Middle East because of Washington’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist movement close to Tehran.
Washington and Tehran clash in Syria. The United States carried out airstrikes on two facilities used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and “affiliated groups”, in the east of the country, announced Thursday October 26 the American Minister of Defense, Lloyd Austin. “These self-defense and precision strikes are a response to a series of ongoing, and mostly failed, attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias”since October 17, he said in a press release.
During these attacks, a US citizen died of a heart attack while taking cover during one of the attacks, according to the Pentagon. Twenty-one others were slightly injured but have since returned to work.
Washington has around 900 troops in Syria and nearly 2,500 in Iraq, where they fight the Islamic State group and frequently carry out attacks targeting jihadists.
“Separate strikes from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas”
President Biden ordered these strikes “to make it clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel and its interests”warned Loyd Austin again.“These well-targeted self-defense strikes… are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a change in our approach” regarding this war.
On Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei accused the United States of “to lead in some way” Israel’s operations against Hamas, while armed groups close to Iran have threatened to attack American bases in the Middle East, due to Washington’s support for Israel in its war against the Palestinian Islamist movement in power in the Gaza Strip and close to Tehran.
To which President Joe Biden responded on Thursday, before the strikes carried out in Syria, by “a warning”. “If they continue to act against these troops, we will retaliate, and they must be ready. This has nothing to do with Israel,” he declared, fearing that These tensions are causing a widening of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.