Oct 30, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
The US Department of Defense (DoD) revealed on Monday that 23 attacks
targeted US bases in Syria and Iraq since Oct. 17.
Sites of the US-led Global Coalition in Syria and Iraq have been subjected to drone and rocket attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated militias.
A senior Pentagon official said in a press briefing on Monday, “From Oct.
17 to Oct. 30, U.S. and coalition forces have been attacked at least 14
separate times in Iraq, and nine separate times in Syria, through a mix of
one-way attack drones and rockets, for a total of 23 attacks to date.”
The official added the US military is “taking decisive self-defense
military actions to defend U.S. forces that have been attacked by
Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.”
On Oct. 26, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that about 900 US troops
have deployed or are in the process of going to the Middle East region,
including those associated with the air defense systems.
The senior official also said on the Monday press briefing that “many of
these attacks were successfully disrupted by our military. Most failed to reach
their targets, thanks to our robust defenses.”
“More resources are flowing into the US Central Command area of operations
to include defenses against drones and rockets,” the official said.
On Oct. 27, Ryder said that US F-16 fighter jets launched airstrikes on two
IRGC positions in eastern Syria, in retaliation for IRGC attacks against US
bases in Iraq and Syria.
The official added on Monday, “We’re going to continue to respond when the
president decides that’s necessary for U.S. force protection.”
“Iran’s objective for a long time has been to force a withdrawal of the
U.S. military from the region,” she said. “What I would observe is that we’re still there.”
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