(RepublicanPress.org) – In October, CBS News reported that Iranian-backed groups targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria at least 16 times over less than two weeks. The information was confirmed by the Pentagon, which stated the attacks were a mixture of drones and rockets. At least 21 military members were injured, and one US contractor died during the strikes. America warned there would be consequences, and there were clear ones.
On October 26, the US struck two facilities in eastern Syria in retaliation. The places were reportedly used by Iranian-backed groups. While Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wasn’t looking for conflict, America would defend itself against attacks. In a statement, he called the recent Iranian-backed strikes “unacceptable” and called for them to “stop.” The US military reportedly sent in two F-16s to hit a weapons storage area and an ammunition storage area.
BREAKING: The U.S. strikes an Iran-linked facility in Syria amid attacks on U.S. forces in the region, the Pentagon says.
https://t.co/28zFJIEGP3— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 8, 2023
Less than two weeks later, on November 8, Austin released another statement. He said US military forces struck a facility at the direction of President Joe Biden. The secretary of defense said the self-defense strike was again in eastern Syria. A pair of F-15s struck a weapons storage facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and related groups.
Austin relayed a message from Biden saying his first priority was protecting US personnel and America would continue to defend itself against any further attacks. The defense secretary urged aggressors to refrain from escalating the situation.
According to CBS News, the strikes against the US military in the region jumped from around 16 to 41 since October 17 — half of them happening after the first round of US strikes. Apart from the first attack against US personnel in Syria and Iraq, there have been no additional reported injuries. Currently, the United States has around 900 service members serving in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq. Their primary mission overseas is to defeat ISIS.
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