US Airstrikes Target Iranian-Backed Groups in Syria
An image of an airstrike on the Maysulun weapons storage facility in eastern Syria. The airstrike was in response to a series of attacks on U.S. personnel in recent weeks in Iraq and Syria. | Photo: U.S. Central Command
On November 12, 2023, the United States carried out two airstrikes in Syria, targeting a training facility near the city of Albu Kamal and a safe house near the city of Mayadeen. The US military said that the strikes were in retaliation for a series of over 50 rocket and drone attacks that left at least 56 US personnel with a “combination of traumatic brain injury and minor injuries.”
Iranian-backed groups have launched these attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, casualties resulting from the airstrikes involved “eight pro-Iran fighters dead, including at least one Syrian, and Iraqi nationals.
The recent airstrikes are the latest in a series of US military actions against Iranian-backed groups in Syria. In October 2023, the US carried out two airstrikes against weapons depots used by Iranian-backed groups. The US military said that these strikes were also in retaliation for the rocket and drone attacks against US bases.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that President Joe Biden ordered the attacks and stated, “The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.” The airstrikes come at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Iran. The US has been trying to deter Iran from supporting Syrian government forces and from expanding its military influence in the Middle East. However, Iran shows no signs of backing down and that it is willing to risk retaliation from the US in supporting its allies in Syria.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a welcome ceremony before an annual security meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 | AP Photo/Jung Yeon-je
A grave concern is the numerous civilian casualties in continued US airstrikes. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, over 10,000 civilians have been killed in US airstrikes in Syria since the US deployed thousands of troops in 2014 to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The US military has acknowledged that some civilian casualties have occurred, but it has argued that these casualties are unavoidable in the context of war. “The US military takes great care to avoid civilian casualties in its airstrikes,” said a spokesperson for the US Central Command. “However, it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of civilian casualties in any military operation.”
The US emphasized that its recent airstrikes are not connected to Israel’s military attacks in Gaza and that they are unrelated actions of self-defense. “We aim to clarify that our military actions do not signal a change in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict, and we have no intentions of escalating conflict in the region,” a senior Pentagon official has said in a statement.
The US airstrikes in Syria and attacks launched by Iran-backed militant groups raise the risk of a wider conflict between the US and Iran and possible regional warfare if it becomes involved with the Israel-Hamas war.