Terrorists allied with Iran have increasingly attacked bases in the Middle East that include US military forces, raising the specter of the United States being drawn into armed conflict.
US and allied military personnel have thwarted many of the attacks, although others have caused some damage and minor injuries.
Biden administration officials have issued stern warnings against Iran and the terrorist groups it supports for continued provocations, with a top adviser vowing Monday: “We will not hesitate to protect our forces.
“We don’t necessarily see that Iran has explicitly ordered them to carry out these types of attacks,” said Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Monday.
“We haven’t seen a direct order, for example, from the Supreme Leader saying, ‘Go out and do this,'” he said before adding: “No one wants to see a broader regional conflict, but we won’t hesitate to do it.” protect our forces.”
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, added: “We know that Iran’s goal is to maintain some level of denial here.
“But we are not going to allow them to do that. Nor will we allow any threat to our interests in the region to go unanswered.
Iran uses money, weapons and logistical support to back radical terrorist groups throughout the Middle East to counter its regional rival Saudi Arabia and fight its enemies Israel and the United States. Its representatives include:
- Hezbollah of Lebanon: The “Party of God” was founded in 1982, a name chosen by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, and sent 1,500 Revolutionary Guards to train its fighters. The group has become a “shadow nation” within Lebanon and was used by Iran to attack Israel and prop up Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian Civil War. Since the Hamas attack, Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israel and Iran has threatened to launch an all-out attack in the north if Israel invades Gaza.
- Hamas of Gaza: The “Islamic Resistance Movement” was founded in 1987 and has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. It has control of Gaza and exerts influence in the West Bank. Despite religious differences with Iran, the group shares the goal of exterminating Israel. Intelligence shows that Iran knew about and supported Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel.
- Palestinian Islamic Jihad of the West Bank: Sometimes an ally and sometimes a rival of Hamas, it also receives funding and weapons from Iran and seeks the overthrow of Israel. Over the weekend, an Israeli airstrike hit a command center used by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, a sign that the West Bank could be used to attack Israel as it sends troops to Gaza.
- Spies in Jordan: King Abdullah II of Jordan has friendly relations with the United States, which Iran seeks to disrupt. The nation’s government was nearly overthrown by the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1970s and there are concerns that Iran is funding anti-government terrorists in the country.
- Syria’s Assad: Syria is Iran’s closest ally since the two nations aligned against Iraq’s Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War. During the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Iran helped keep President Bashar al-Assad in power by providing him with technical and personnel support. Since the Hamas attack, Syria claims that Israel has dropped bombs on airports in Syria, which will likely disrupt the flow of Iranian supplies and weapons. Syria fired artillery into Israeli territory. Meanwhile, a drone attack by an Iranian-backed group wounded US troops at the Al-Tanf base. While Assad may not go so far as to declare war on Israel, he is happy for Iran to use his country to provide support to Hezbollah and Hamas.
- Yemen’s Houthis: Islamic rebels who want to overthrow the Yemeni government (left). Their motto is “God is great, death to America, death to Israel, curse to the Jews and victory for Islam.” It has become a proxy war for Iran, which backs the rebels, and Saudi Arabia, which supports the current president, Rashad al-Alimi. Last week, the Houthis fired nine cruise missiles and 15 drones toward Israel over a nine-hour period. They were shot down by the USS Carney, a destroyer that the United States had sent to the Red Sea.
- Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah: Iran backs several groups in neighboring Iraq and, since the fall of Saddam Hussein, has pushed for the formation of a Shiite-backed government. But Kataib Hezbollah, the “Party of God Brigades,” may be the most dangerous. It has carried out a series of attacks against US forces. General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was advising the group when he was killed by a US strike in 2020. Since the Hamas attack, drones and rockets have been fired by Kataib Hezbollah and other Hamas-backed groups. Iran against Ain. al-Asad air base used by the United States.
- Al-Ashtar Brigades of Bahrain: Shiite group seeking the overthrow of Bahrain’s monarchy, with the support of Iran.
“We know that Iran is closely monitoring these developments and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks,” he said.
This photo shows an army drill involving electronic warfare units and featuring military equipment designed and manufactured in Iran at an undisclosed location.ZUMAPRESS.com
Over the past week alone, there have been about a half-dozen publicly confirmed skirmishes between Iranian proxies and U.S. forces.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
The rise in attacks on American personnel in the Middle East appears to have been fueled by the war being waged in Israel in response to Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7 surprise attack on the Jewish state.
And a senior Pentagon official said Monday there could still be an increase in attacks against U.S. forces in the region.
“We see the prospect of a much more significant escalation against US forces and personnel in the near term,” a defense official explained in a briefing, according to Fox News.
“And let’s be clear: the path leads back to Iran,” the official said.
Drone attack in Syria on October 23
On Monday, the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq took credit for a possible two-drone attack on the al-Tanf garrison in a region of Syria that has frequently been used by terrorists to smuggle weapons.
The drones were intercepted by forces at the US base and no one was injured, according to Ryder.
The United States is believed to currently have about 900 troops stationed in Syria. Al-Tanf is set near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan.
Rocket and drone attacks in Iraq from October 21 to 22
The Ain al-Asad air base is located in the western Anbar Desert in Iraq.AP
On Sunday, Katyusha rockets hit the Ain al-Asad air base, where US and international forces are stationed, Reuters reported.
A day earlier, defense systems at Al-Asad air base shot down two drones flying near the base, according to Reuters.
The United States has at least 2,500 personnel positions in Iraq.
Missiles near Yemen on October 19
The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer operating near the northern part of the Red Sea, shot down multiple missiles believed to have been launched by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, the Pentagon said Thursday.
Authorities said they were unsure of the intended target of the attack, but the military decided to shoot down the rockets after determining they posed a potential threat.
The incident lasted nearly nine hours and involved four cruise missiles and 15 drones, CNN reported.
Drone attacks in Syria on October 18
On Thursday, a pair of drones believed to have come from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked the al-Tanf garrison.
In that incident, one of the drones was destroyed and another caused minor injuries at the base, according to US officials.
According to Syrian opposition activists, another series of drone attacks also took place in eastern Syria, near the Deir al-Zor region, targeting the Conoco gas field.
American troops are housed at that oil facility.
Drone attacks in Iraq from October 17 to 18
Military vehicles of US soldiers are seen at the al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq.REUTERS
On October 18, US Central Command confirmed that within 24 hours, US forces prevented three drone attacks in Iraq.
The first involved a pair of drones that zeroed in on the Al-Asad base. One of those drones was intercepted, while another exploded, causing some minor injuries, Reuters reported.
Medical staff also evaluated some service members for possible traumatic brain injury.
One contractor suffered a heart attack while struggling to take shelter and later died as a result.
Then, in northern Iraq, a drone attacked the al-Harir air base, but the device eventually fell in a desert area not far from the base.
President Biden has affirmed US support for Israel in its fight against Hamas.REUTERS
President Biden has sought to discourage Iran from exploiting the conflict in Israel.
“Iran is supporting Russia in Ukraine and is supporting Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region,” Biden declared during his prime-time address Thursday. “We will continue to hold them accountable, I might add.”
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Meanwhile, the Iraqi prime minister has ordered those responsible for the attacks on American personnel to be pursued.
“Targeted attacks on Iraqi bases housing international coalition advisors in Iraq are unacceptable. “They are here at the invitation of the government,” a spokesperson said.
Iran has long financed terrorist activities in the Middle East, US officials say.ZUMAPRESS.com
US intelligence officials believe there are “red lights flashing everywhere” that Iranian-backed militias in the region are planning to continue escalating their offensive against US forces in the Middle East, CNN reported.
Some politicians such as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have argued that the United States should threaten war with Iran if Tehran further escalates the conflict in Israel.
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