Biden on US airstrikes in Syria: “Provide deterrence, limit risk of escalation”

US President Joe Biden briefed parliament on recent US airstrikes in Syria after an American was killed there by a suspected Iranian drone strike.

“They were conducted in a manner designed to create deterrence, mitigate the risk of escalation and prevent civilian casualties,” Biden wrote in a letter to Congress released Saturday (local time). Friday’s attacks were therefore intended to protect “the safety of our personnel” and serve as a deterrent against attacks on US targets. US presidents must inform Congress of military action – the letter is a formality.

A military contractor has been killed in a drone strike on a military base in Syria, the US Department of Defense has said. The US military then launched airstrikes against targets of allies of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 19 people were killed, including pro-Iran militias and Syrian government forces. US media reported that there had been further attacks on US military facilities in northeastern Syria.

Iran condemned US attacks on military installations in northeastern Syria. US allegations against Iran are vehemently rejected, State Department spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Saturday, according to the Isna news agency. Iran’s Security Council also denied US allegations of involvement in the drone attack on a US base in Syria.

“The Americans are trying to distract from their illegal occupation of parts of Syria with false accusations against Iran,” council spokesman Kejwan Chosrawi told the news portal “Nour-News”. He threatened that further US attacks on these joint bases could be met with “adequate countermeasures”.

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. (sda/dpa)