US troops attacked in Iraq and Syria amid rising tension in Middle East

Middle East, News, US October 21, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. forces deployed in Iraq, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries are facing an uptick in threats and attacks amid the rising tensions in the region. Drones and missiles were launched at a U.S. military in Iraq this week, while a drone attack on the U.S. troops in Syria resulted in minor injuries to the soldiers.

The opposition to the U.S. military in the Middle East increased significantly after the U.S. deployed additional naval power in the region the past two weeks, including two aircraft carriers, other warships, and about 2,000 marines, following the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The forces reported that a drone targeted the U.S. forces at Al-Tanf base, near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan, resulting in minor injuries, while another was brought down. The U.S. officials did not say who was responsible for the attack.

U.S. military forces in Iraq were also targeted in two separate drone attacks, with one causing minor injuries to a small number of troops even though the U.S. military managed to intercept the armed drone.

During the spree of small rocket and drone attacks on the U.S. military installment in the Middle East, alarms were sounded at Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, where civilians were alerted to seek shelter. A civilian contractor died from cardiac arrest following the alarms.

*^{United States convoy in Syria. (Image Credit: U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. DeAndre Pierce)}*

Rockets were also fired at a military base hosting the U.S. forces near Baghdad’s international airport, Iraqi police said, without providing further details.

“While I’m not going to forecast any potential responses to these attacks, I will say that we will take all necessary actions to defend US and coalition forces against any threat,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters.

Attacks on US warship in Red Sea

A U.S. naval warship came under attack while sailing near Yemen in the Red Sea. The U.S. officials said the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, was in the Red Sea and intercepted the three missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The officials said that the missiles were possibly fired toward Israel, however, the naval destroyer intercepted the missiles halfway and destroyed them mid-air. “We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen, heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” the Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder told reporters in a press briefing.

*^{The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) transits through the Suez Canal, on October 18, 2023. (Image Credit: Aaron Lau/U.S. Navy)}*

“At this point, again, the information that we have does not show a direct connection to the Hamas attacks on October 7,” he said.

Spillover of violence

Several armed organizations in the Middle East have been actively trying to resist Israel’s attack on Gaza. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed fighters, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the two drone attacks in Iraq and saying it “heralds more operations” against the “American occupation”.

Kataib Hezbollah, another powerful armed faction with close ties to Iran, accused the U.S. of supporting Israel in “killing innocent people” and said it should leave Iraq.

The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq, and 900 more in neighboring Syria, on a mission to advise and assist local forces in combating Islamic State, which in 2014 seized swathes of territory in both countries. Following the recent conflict between Israel and Palestine, the U.S. has been facing severe backlash in the region for its support of the Israeli side.