The United States carried out precision strikes on two facilities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and related organizations in eastern Syria in the early morning of the 27th (local time). It is a retaliatory attack for attacks by militants on U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq. This attack, ordered by U.S. President Joe Biden, was reported to be the first military action carried out by the U.S. military in the Middle East since the surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on the 7th.
On this day, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement saying, “This narrowly tailored self-defense attack is solely for the protection and defense of Americans in Iraq and Syria.” He went on to emphasize, “If attacks by Iranian proxies against U.S. troops continue, we will not hesitate to take any additional steps necessary to protect our people.”
However, Minister Lloyd said, “It was an attack that was independent and separate from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.” There is an interpretation that it was a warning to Iran, which is trying to intervene in the Middle East war by manipulating Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq.
The Associated Press quoted a senior U.S. official as saying, “(In today’s attack) two F-16 fighter jets struck the arsenal of the IRGC and related organizations in Bukamal, Syria.”
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, in the past 10 days, there have been 16 drone and rocket attacks by local militants on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria, injuring 20 U.S. soldiers. In response, President Biden said at a press conference after the US-Australia summit on the 25th that this was a message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying, “If you continue to attack US troops, we will respond, so we must prepare.”
Following the 25th, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a surprise attack on the night of the 26th, mobilizing infantry, combat engineers, and armored units near Shejaiya, eastern Gaza Strip.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.