Militants with ties to Iran have launched attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria four times in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 52 attacks in less than a month, according to U.S. defense officials informed by VOA.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the need for these attacks to cease, warning that the U.S. is prepared to take necessary actions to protect its troops. The recent attacks followed U.S. strikes on two Iran-linked sites in Syria as a response to previous assaults on American personnel. The strikes targeted a training facility near Abu Kamal and a safe house near Mayadin.
This marks the third consecutive week of U.S. strikes against locations associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In the most recent attack on Monday, one-way drones were launched at Rumalyn Landing Zone in Syria, with one drone being intercepted and another causing damage but no casualties.
While most attacks were thwarted by the U.S. military, a few resulted in injuries to 56 U.S. military personnel, ranging from traumatic brain injuries to shrapnel or perforated eardrums. All wounded personnel returned to duty, except for two individuals with traumatic brain injuries sent for further examination. Additionally, a U.S. contractor at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq suffered a fatal cardiac episode during a false alarm of an air attack. Militants with ties
The U.S. has increased its regional presence to protect its forces and deter potential threats from actors such as Iran, its proxies like the Houthis and Hezbollah, and others, aiming to prevent the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict.