US, Coalition forces attacked 52 times in Iraq, Syria in less than a month
The Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A Pentagon official said on Monday that there had been at least 52 attacks against US and Coalition forces between October 17 and November 13, with 24 of those attacks occurring in Iraq and 28 in Syria.
Many one-way drone strikes against US and Coalition forces at Rumalyn Landing Zone, Syria, occurred early on November 13, the official told Kurdistan 24.
One of these drones was shot down, and another affected a US base close to Hasaka. There were no fatalities and very little infrastructure damage, the official stated.
The official also mentioned that on November 12, one-way drone assaults were conducted in eastern Syria against US and Coalition forces at a site in Deir ez-Zor, but the drone was shot down prior to reaching its target.
The official explained that the US has responded to these attacks three times so far, on October 8, October 13, and October 26, targeting establishments used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and armed organizations supported by Iran.
Although most of the assaults have been claimed by Iran-backed organizations in Iraq as payback for US assistance for Israel during the current conflict in Gaza, the US has not yet taken action against these groups.
Attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria have increased since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
Iraqi armed groups threatened to target US interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel.
The Pentagon press secretary, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, said last week that Iranian-backed militias have targeted American soldiers in Iraq and Syria with drones or rockets at least 38 times in less than a month, with six of the incidents occurring in two days.
With regional tension over the Israel-Hamas conflict increasing dramatically, Washington is on high alert for activities by groups backed by Iran.
The United States has about 900 soldiers in Syria and 2,500 soldiers in Iraq.