Iranian authorities issued a statement Monday saying the attacks on US troops in Iraq and elsewhere in the region were the result of “wrong American policies,” including Israel’s support for the war against Hamas.
US military bases have been repeatedly hit by artillery strikes in Iraq and Syria since 2,500 Hamas militants crossed into the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking at least 239 hostages, under the cover of multiple artillery attacks.
In response to the Hamas incursion, Israel has launched Operation Iron Swords, in which it is carrying out intensive strikes on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is also gradually expanding its ground operation, having declared its intention to eradicate the terrorist group in charge of the Strip. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said:
The attack on American bases in the region, especially in Iraq, is the result of wrong American policies in the region, which we hope it will correct.
He said the attacks were carried out by groups opposed to the “US presence in the region” and “American support for the Zionist regime’s crimes.”
Nasser Kanaani issued a call for the US to stop supporting Israel. He added:
You reap what you sow.
Iran, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, called the 7 October offensive a “success” but denied involvement. Iranian army chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri said on Monday that Hamas was “ready for an Israeli ground attack”.
Washington has accused Tehran of “actively facilitating” attacks on US troops in the Middle East. On Thursday, the US military said it struck two sites in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups.
The US has deployed about 2,500 troops in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran considers it “its duty to support the resistance groups” but insists they are “independent in their opinions, decisions and actions.”
Last week, the US military said that it had struck two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups.
