The Biden administration , aiming to prevent the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, conducted a strike on a militia group’s facility in eastern Syria on Wednesday. This action was in response to a series of attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East in recent weeks, as reported by the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that two F-15 fighter jets conducted the operation against a weapons-storage facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its allies.
“This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates,” Austin said. The Biden administration
This is the second time in less than two weeks the U.S. has bombed facilities used by militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which U.S. officials say have carried out at least 40 such attacks in the region since Oct. 17.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Sunday, discussed the issue of repeated aggression from militias with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. In response to the attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect its people and facilities. However, he also emphasized the call for avoiding escalation, assuring that U.S. personnel would continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria.
Earlier on Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down a U.S. drone in Yemeni airspace. While the Defense Department has not provided official comments, a senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press to share details not yet public, confirmed the downing of the drone. The military is reportedly studying the incident.