Current:Home > ScamsIran-backed group claims strike on Syria base used by U.S. as Israel-Hamas war fuels risky tit-for-tat-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Iran-backed group claims strike on Syria base used by U.S. as Israel-Hamas war fuels risky tit-for-tat
lotradecoin professional trading tools View Date:2024-12-26 02:43:12
Erbil, Iraq — An Iran-backed militia group in Iraq claimed responsibility Monday for a drone strike against a base in eastern Syria used by U.S. troops that killed six American-allied Kurdish fighters. The attack, which caused no American casualties, appeared to be the first significant response from what the U.S. calls Iran's proxy groups to U.S. airstrikes against the militias in the region.
On Friday, the U.S. started striking the militias of an umbrella group known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq in response to those groups' stepped-up attacks on U.S. bases in the region — including the deadly drone strike on a base in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members on Jan. 28.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Monday that a drone struck a training ground the previous night at the al-Omar base in Syria's eastern province of Deir el-Zour. The SDF trains commandos there, and some of the roughly 900 U.S. troops deployed in Syria as part of the ongoing mission against ISIS have been based there.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq released a video claiming responsibility for the attack that included purported images of the drone being launched from an unspecified location.
With its strikes over the weekend against the militias in Iraq and Syria — and ongoing strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen who've been targeting ships in the Red Sea for months — the U.S. has continued its retaliation against Iran's affiliates across a wide geographical area. All those groups say they've been attacking U.S. and Israeli interests in solidarity with Palestinians, as Israel continues its war against Hamas, which is also backed by Iran, in the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. and the U.K. launched strikes against 36 Houthi targets late Saturday, targeting missile launch and radar systems in the large portion of Yemen controlled by the Shiite Muslim rebels.
The Houthis' slogan includes calls for "death to America" and "death to Israel." The group vowed the strikes would "not go unpunished," and just hours later, U.S. forces said they had hit several Houthi cruise missiles that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea, where American military vessels are currently deployed.
The Houthis receive the bulk of their equipment and funding from Iran, according to the U.S. government.
The strike to take out the Houthi cruise missiles — one of several preemptive strikes in Yemen by U.S. and U.K. forces in recent weeks — came just a day after the U.S. said it had struck 85 targets in Iraq and across the border in Syria. Those strikes were retaliation for the deadly attack on the American soldiers just over a week ago in Jordan, and President Biden has vowed to continue retaliating against the militias as and when the U.S. military sees fit.
The U.S. has reported around 170 attacks against American forces in this region by Iran-backed groups since the Israel-Hamas war was ignited by the Palestinian militant group's brutal Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel.
Iran has repeatedly denied any role in the increasing violence and when CBS News interviewed the country's foreign minister in November, he rejected the notion of Iran having proxy groups and said the militias in Iraq and Syria attacking U.S. interests had "made their own decisions."
Top officials in both the U.S. and Iran have said they don't want the war between Israel and Hamas to widen and engulf the region. But the groups backed by Iran have vowed to continue retaliating against Israel and its closest ally, the U.S., for what they say is an unjust war in Gaza, and the U.S. has vowed to continue retaliating for any attacks by those groups that put Americans in harm's way.
In addition to the roughly 900 American forces deployed in Syria, there are about 2,500 in Iraq. So, preventing any further escalation of the conflict in such a tense region with so many potential flashpoints will require a very delicate balance, in both words and actions.
- In:
- War
- Iraq
- Iran
- Houthi Movement
- Hamas
- Israel
- Yemen
- Syria
- Middle East
veryGood! (223)
Related
- Charlie Sheen’s Daughter Sami Sheen Undergoes Plastic Surgery for Droopy Nose
- 'Mrs. Doubtfire' child stars reunite 30 years later: 'Still feels like family'
- Proof Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky's Cutest Family Moments Are Always in Fashion
- Defense chiefs from US, Australia, Japan and Philippines vow to deepen cooperation
- As Baltimore’s Sewer System Buckles Under Extreme Weather, City Refuses to Help Residents With Cleanup Efforts
- Julia Fox gets real on 'OMG Fashun,' vaping, staying single post-Ye and loving her son
- New Bumble feature gives women a different way to 'make the first move'
- US jobs report for April will likely point to a slower but still-strong pace of hiring
- A fiery Texas politician launched a legal assault on Google and Meta. And he's winning.
- Cowboys QB Dak Prescott won't face charges for alleged sexual assault in 2017
Ranking
- Justice Department defends Boeing plea deal against criticism by 737 Max crash victims’ families
- Drew Barrymore left a list of her past lovers at this 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' actor's home
- Brittney Griner 'Coming Home' interview shows not just her ordeal in Russia, but her humanity
- Tesla 'full self-driving' in my Model Y: Lessons from the highway
- US Army intelligence analyst pleads guilty to selling military secrets to China
- Maui sues cell carriers over wildfire warning alerts that were never received during service outages
- Miss Universe Buenos Aires Alejandra Rodríguez Makes History as the First 60-Year-Old to Win
- Answering readers’ questions about the protest movement on US college campuses
Recommendation
-
A teen was falling asleep during a courtroom field trip. She ended up in cuffs and jail clothes
-
Two months to count election ballots? California’s long tallies turn election day into weeks, months
-
PGA Tour winner and longtime Masters broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis dies at age 75
-
Abortion access defines key New York congressional races
-
Britney Spears' Ex Sam Asghari Reveals Special Girl in His Life—But It's Not What You Think
-
Pregnancy-related deaths fall to pre-pandemic levels, new CDC data shows
-
Kentucky Derby allure endures despite a troubled sport and Churchill Downs' iron grip
-
A North Dakota man is sentenced to 15 years in connection with shooting at officers