class=”sc-3778e872-0 gWjAEa”>
They are not looking for a conflict with Iran, Biden said Friday after the US intelligence services spoke about a drone “of Iranian origin”. “But be prepared that we will take strong action to protect our people.” US media later reported further attacks on US military facilities in northeastern Syria. A soldier was injured, broadcaster ABC reported based on an anonymous source. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
An army contractor has been killed in the first drone strike on a military base, according to the US Department of Defense. The U.S. military then attacked targets of allies of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards from the air, targeting the “Green Village” military base in northeastern Syria with ten rockets, according to the Pentagon. However, no soldiers were injured. According to the US government, it is believed that groups supported by the Revolutionary Guards are also behind the attacks.
The Revolutionary Guard is the elite unit of Iran’s armed forces and far more important than the country’s traditional army. Besides Russia, Iran is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main ally in the civil war. His government controls about two-thirds of the fragmented country, including most of the larger cities, including the capital, Damascus. In 2015, US soldiers were sent to Syria to support the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). Today, 900 are still stationed – mainly in the east of the country.
Warnings of an escalation of conflict over Iran’s nuclear program are mounting again. A 2015 deal to restrict Iran’s program from building a nuclear bomb in exchange for the end of Western sanctions was scrapped in 2018 under then-US President Donald Trump. The leadership in Tehran therefore no longer feels bound by its promises and pushes the program forward in its interests. Negotiations to revive the agreement have been stalled for months.
During a visit to Ottawa, Canada, Biden highlighted the drone strike and the US response: “We will continue our efforts to combat terrorist threats in the region.” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder made a similar statement: The main focus of the US in Syria is the fight against IS. “But if our forces are threatened, we will take appropriate action to ensure that they remain protected and that we can repel future attacks.”
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
