Iran-backed militant groups have attacked U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria three times since the U.S. launched massive retaliatory strikes on Friday, killing six partner troops at one of the bases, according to reports.
The U.S. struck 85 targets connected to Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria and the Iranian military command that oversees Tehran’s proxy operations on Friday in response to a Jan. 28 suicide drone attack that caused the first U.S. fatalities since the escalation of attacks. U.S.-backed forces confirmed an attack on Sunday at the Al-Omar oilfield in Syria on Sunday killed six Kurdish fighters, Reuters reported.
An explosive-laden drone crashed into the training academy on the U.S. base, resulting “in the martyrdom of six of our Commando fighters,” Farhad Shami, a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a social media post, Reuters reported. (RELATED: US Destroys Houthi Drones, Operations Site And Anti-Ship Missile In Busy 24 Hours)
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq — an umbrella organization considered responsible for the deadly attack on U.S. troops — on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack.
Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan 169 times since Oct. 17, a Department of Defense (DOD) official said Monday, Politico reported. One attack took place at Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria on Feb. 3, with no damage or injuries reported.
The attack on Sunday caused significant damage to infrastructure, the official said, according to Politico.
Iran-backed militants fired a single rocket at MSS Euphrates again on Monday, but it did not cause any damage.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans. We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and… pic.twitter.com/Y53nvRfjjx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 3, 2024
U.S. fighter jets, including long-range B-1 bombers from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, carried out expansive strikes against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxy fighters on Friday. Forces targeted command and control posts, intelligence centers, rockets, missiles, drone storage sites and logistics and munition facilities, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
An estimated 40 people, mostly militants, died in the strikes, Reuters reported.
The Biden administration promised future attack waves.
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday.
Department of Defense (DOD) was still conducting an assessment of the battle damage and casualties, but Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, who heads the Joint Staff’s operations directorate, added that the military understood there would likely be casualties.
Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most prominent members of the Islamic Resistance, had pledged to suspend military and security activities aimed at U.S. troops as rumblings of sweeping U.S. retaliation rose. In October, Kataib Hezobllah threatened to attack U.S. military bases with missiles, special forces and drones if the U.S. intervened militarily in support of Israel, Reuters reported.
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