- US approves plans for strikes against Iranian personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria following drone attack that killed 3 US soldiers.
- US forces have faced increased attacks from Iran-backed militias and Houthi rebels amid escalating violence in the Middle East.
- President Biden seeks to respond to attacks while avoiding further escalation and preventing wider regional war.
Additional Coverage:
- US approves plans to directly target Iranian forces in response to attack that killed three soldiers (newsbreak.com)
The US has reportedly given approval for plans to launch strikes against Iranian personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria following a drone attack that killed three US soldiers in Jordan. According to US officials, the response will be a “campaign” lasting weeks, which will involve airstrikes and cyberattacks targeting both Iran-backed militias responsible for the attack and Iranian forces supporting them in the region. This marks a significant escalation in the ongoing power struggle between the US and Iran and their respective allies in the Middle East.
US forces in the region have faced frequent attacks from Iran-backed militias opposed to their presence, but the attacks have increased significantly since Israel’s invasion of Gaza and Washington’s support for the war. US bases in Iraq and Syria have been targeted with more than 160 rocket and drone attacks since mid-October. In addition, US warships and international merchant vessels have come under attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are also supported by Iran.
The violence in the Middle East, particularly linked to Israel’s war in Gaza, has raised concerns about a wider regional escalation. Israel’s war, triggered by an attack by Hamas on Israel, has involved various groups allied with Iran from across the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The war has resulted in the deaths of more than 26,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry.
While the Biden administration has sought to prevent further escalation, the involvement of Houthi rebels and the killing of US soldiers has led to ongoing military confrontations that resemble a low-level regional war. The US now regularly carries out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. When asked if these actions constitute a war, a White House spokesperson disagreed, stating that attacks against US troops and facilities in the region have been ongoing for years.
Last week, three US service personnel were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack on a military outpost in Jordan known as Tower 22. The White House has identified the attack as the work of an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes multiple Iran-backed militias. The US response to these deaths will be “multi-tiered,” according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
President Joe Biden has stated that he has decided on a response to the attacks but wants to avoid escalating the situation further, expressing a desire to prevent a wider war in the Middle East. Meanwhile, US forces have targeted a Houthi drone base in Yemen due to its perceived threat to merchant and navy vessels in the region. The Houthis have carried out multiple attacks on ships in this area, citing the lifting of the siege on Gaza as their motivation.