The Pentagon announced on Thursday night that President Joe Biden had ordered strikes on two facilities in Syria used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and groups supported by Tehran.
_x000D_Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described the US actions as “narrowly tailored in self-defense” and emphasized they are separate from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
_x000D_He directly accused Iran of having a role in the attacks on US forces, saying in the statement, “Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them.” Austin also promised further strikes if the attacks by Iran’s proxies continue.
_x000D_The strikes follow reports that American troops stationed in the Middle East have been attacked 13 times in the last week by suicide drones and rockets.
_x000D_Department of Defense spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder stated on Tuesday that American forces in Iraq have been attacked 10 times between October 17-24, while US forces in Syria have been attacked three times over the same period.
_x000D_Biden has several times warned Iran not to attack US troops in the region, including in a speech earlier this month in which he warned Iran not to take advantage of the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
_x000D_“Let me say again, any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t,” Biden said.
_x000D_The President later repeated this warning in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes”.
