Amid growing concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict may extend throughout the Middle East, two U.S. fighter planes attacked weapons and ammunition installations in Syria on Friday in reprisal for attacks on U.S. soldiers by an Iranian-backed militia.
According to the Pentagon, U.S. President Joe Biden issued an order for strikes on the two locations that the Revolutionary Guard Corps and militia organisations that Iran supports utilise. He also threatened to take further action if Iran’s proxies continued their attacks.
Iran-backed forces have targeted U.S. and coalition soldiers in Iraq and Syria at least 19 times in the last week. Tehran supports Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned that the US will “not be spared from this fire” if Israel continued its onslaught against Hamas at the UN on Thursday.
According to a U.S. defence official, the American airstrikes occurred on Friday at approximately 4:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) close to Abu Kamal, a Syrian town bordering Iraq. Two F-16 fighter planes used precision weapons to carry out the strikes.
“These precision self-defence strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
“These Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop,” Austin said.
The White House announced earlier on Thursday that Biden had warned Tehran not to target American personnel in the Middle East in a rare message to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
A senior U.S. defence official stated, “What we want is for Iran to take very specific actions, to direct its militias and proxies to stand down.” The official went on to say that the US did not coordinate the airstrikes with Israel.
US support to Israel in Gaza conflict
Over the past three weeks, the US has dispatched fighter planes and warships to the region. The Pentagon announced on Thursday that roughly 900 more American soldiers have either landed in the Middle East or are on their way there.
Amid concerns that a ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave may ignite a larger Middle East conflict, Israel said on Friday that military operations into Gaza were preparing “the next stage of the operation”.
A senior U.S. defence official stated, “What we want is for Iran to take very specific actions, to direct its militias and proxies to stand down.” The official went on to say that the US did not coordinate the airstrikes with Israel.
Over the past three weeks, the US has dispatched fighter planes and warships to the area. To strengthen American personnel’s air defences, the Pentagon announced on Thursday that roughly 900 more American soldiers have either landed in the Middle East or are on their way there.
Amid concerns that a ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave may ignite a larger Middle East conflict, Israel said on Friday that military operations into Gaza were preparing “the next stage of the operation”.
Israel to have killed Hamas commanders
Israel declared on Friday that three senior Hamas operatives who were instrumental in the attack on Israel on October 7 had been hit by its fighter jets. According to Israel, they were leaders of the Gaza City Brigade’s Daraj Tuffah Battalion.
Hamas did not make a formal proclamation.
According to media connected with Hamas, Israeli troops and Palestinian militants engaged in combat in at least two locations within the Gaza Strip on Friday.
Global concerns over Gaza civilians
The question of humanitarian pauses or ceasefire agreements in the Hamas-run coastal enclave will be brought before the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Friday in a draught resolution submitted by Arab states urging a ceasefire, as the situation for Palestinian civilians becomes increasingly dire.
In the General Assembly, no nation possesses a veto, in contrast to the Security Council, where resolutions for Gaza funding were rejected this week. Resolutions have political weight but are not legally binding.
The Israeli bombing of Gaza was projected to have left over 613,000 Palestinians homeless; UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, was providing shelter to these individuals.
