The U.S. military conducted strikes in eastern Syria targeting two facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday.
The strikes, which were approved by President Joe Biden, came in response to a series of recent attacks against U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq that were carried out by Iranian proxy forces in the Middle East. Between Oct. 17 and Oct. 26, U.S. and coalition forces have been attacked at least a dozen times at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, while troops at the al Tanf garrison in Syria have been attacked four times in that time period via a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday.
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“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 not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
Twenty-one U.S. service members were injured, albeit not severely, at the two air bases between Oct. 17-18. Everyone who was injured has since returned to duty. There were 17 troops who were injured at al Tanf, 15 of whom were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, while four service members at Al-Asad Air Base suffered a TBI. A U.S. contractor died after suffering cardiac arrest when an early warning system detected another possible threat sending people to scramble for shelter.
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Biden warned Iran against getting involved in the developing Israel-Hamas conflict, which began with the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 that left roughly 1,400 people dead, the vast majority of whom were civilians. Israeli leaders have since declared war on Hamas and have said their goal is to end the terrorist organization that has been in power in Gaza for about 15 years.
National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Thursday that "there was a direct message relayed" to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.