US launches 3rd strikes on Iran-linked groups amid attacks on American soldiers: Officials

0
2كيلو بايت

American aircraft on Sunday struck a weapons storage facility and a command-and-control center used by Iran-linked militants in Syria in the latest round of retaliatory strikes amid continued attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East, officials said.

"Within the last two hours, the U.S. has taken precision defensive strikes against two sites in Syria," one official told ABC News.

The operation was in response to what the Pentagon has called ongoing attacks, injuring dozens of American troops, by proxy fighters supported by Iran since the Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas' terror attack last month.

The U.S. military believes.the strikes are part of a larger strategy of deterrence intended to keep other groups from escalating conflict in the region, where tensions have been sharply inflamed by the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

"The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Sunday.

Gen. Michael Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, also issued a statement calling the strikes a "response" to "continued provocations by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their affiliated groups in Iraq and Syria."

"The United States will continue to defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," the statement concluded.

The strikes were the third round of retaliation, according to the Pentagon: The military said on Wednesday that warplanes struck a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria that was being used by Iran-backed militants responsible for the dozens of drone and rocket attacks against American troops in the region over the previous three weeks.

"We hold Iran accountable for these attacks, not just the militia groups," a senior defense official told reporters at the time.

PHOTO: MQ-9 Reaper (Lt. Col.. Leslie Pratt/US Air Force/AP, FILE)
PHOTO: MQ-9 Reaper (Lt. Col.. Leslie Pratt/US Air Force/AP, FILE)

Ten days after Hamas launched its attack on Israel, on Oct. 7, sparking the war, Iran-backed militants began what has become a spate of near-daily aggression, U.S. officials have said.

The Iran-linked attackers "in all cases were taking shots at what they believed to be very large numbers of U.S. personnel with the intent of killing them," a senior military official said last week.

On Oct. 26, in the first strikes, U.S. fighter jets hit two weapons and ammunition facilities in eastern Syria that officials said were used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups.

"Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them," Austin said then. "If attacks by Iran's proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people."

البحث
الأقسام
إقرأ المزيد
أخرى
bulk westkiss bundles of weave for cost-effective styling
Bulk Westkiss bundles of weave offer a cost-effective and versatile solution for those looking to...
بواسطة wwwyyy 2025-05-14 16:22:56 0 840
الرئيسية
Discover Whiteland Westin: Upcoming High-Rise Living on Dwarka Expressway
Whiteland Westin Residences is set to introduce a new standard of luxury living in...
بواسطة jyotisinghal 2024-10-14 05:06:43 0 1كيلو بايت
Health
Lactic Acid for Food Applications Overview, Growth Analysis, Share, Opportunities, Trends and Global Forecast By 2028
The universal Global Lactic Acid for Food Applications Market research report gives detailed...
بواسطة hemantb 2023-12-13 05:37:10 0 3كيلو بايت
News
Graffiti left by Israeli soldiers turn south Lebanon homes into a canvas of war
Residents of southern Lebanon have been gradually returning to their villages to find...
بواسطة Ikeji 2025-02-26 17:24:51 0 736
أخرى
Struggling with Compliance Challenges? How Sirius360 Enhances DevSecOps Practices.
The integration of Development, Security, and Operations (DevSecOps) has become a linchpin for...
بواسطة devopsenabler 2023-11-17 04:22:42 0 6كيلو بايت