The US military announced on Monday it had carried out airstrikes on nine targets linked to Iranian groups in Syria that periodically attack US troops, while the Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military base in the occupied Palestinian territories.
US carries out air strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria
According to the statement, the strikes targeted two specific sites in Syria and were in response to multiple attacks on US personnel over the previous 24 hours.
The US periodically strikes Iranian-linked sites in Iraq and Syria after they launch attacks on US facilities in Syria or Iraq. Earlier in February this year, the US carried out airstrikes on more than 85 sites linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and allied militias following a deadly attack on US troops. Following the US strike, attacks by Iranian-backed forces, which have increased to 200 since October 2023, ceased for an extended period. The US military said of the recent action:
These strikes will reduce the ability of Iranian-backed groups to plan and execute future attacks against US and coalition forces.
The US currently has about 900 troops deployed in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq. Their main task is to advise and support local forces to prevent a resurgence of ISIS, which held significant territory in both countries before its defeat.
Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the US has sent warships and fighter jets to the region as a deterrent to Iran and associated groups. In addition, US troops have helped intercept projectiles launched by Iran toward Israel this year. Tehran has also threatened to launch a third ballistic missile strike against Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike last month on military installations inside Iran.
Iraqi Resistance attacks Israeli military base with drones
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it has carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military base in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the umbrella anti-terror group in the Arab country said it “attacked a military target in the south of the occupied lands with drones” early Tuesday morning.
The resistance group stressed that the drone attack was carried out “in continuation of our approach to resist the occupation and in support of our people in Palestine and Lebanon, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurper entity against civilians, including children, women and the elderly.”
It also vowed to continue “to carry out increasingly intense strikes against enemy strongholds.” The resistance group did not provide any further details about the drone strikes and the Israeli military base.
Since Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza last year, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out similar operations. The group has also attacked US military bases in Iraq and Syria, condemning Washington’s support for Tel Aviv.
At least 11 killed in Gaza’s Al-Mawasi neighborhood shelling
At least 11 people have been killed and several others injured in an Israeli Air Force airstrike on the Al-Mawasi neighbourhood near the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli warplanes struck internet cafes and tents with Palestinian refugees.
The ongoing Israeli war has killed at least 43,374 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured another 102,261.
