Iran-backed militias strike US targets ahead of Gaza talks

Niloufar GoudarziOmar Abu Laila
A US army soldier stands with his weapon at a military base in the Makhmour area near Mosul/ File Photo
A US army soldier stands with his weapon at a military base in the Makhmour area near Mosul/ File Photo

Iran-backed militia forces launched their second attack in a week on US targets in Syria on Tuesday, as ceasefire talks for Gaza approach on Thursday.

The Iran-aligned militia fired projectiles aimed at a US airbase situated within a strategic gas field in Syria's Deir Ezzor on Tuesday. According to Reuters, citing US officials, the projectiles failed to strike the intended target.

According to Iran International sources, the rockets were launched from the western bank of the Euphrates, where Iran-backed militias are stationed. The rockets fired were of the Katyusha type and short-range Iranian-made missiles.

The projectiles fell near the base, triggering an immediate artillery response from the US-led coalition. However, the Biden administration has notably refrained from a more extensive retaliation against Iran-backed groups, aiming to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, while subtly signaling to Tehran to avoid retaliatory measures over the recent killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden expressed confidence that Iran would refrain from striking Israel, contingent on the successful negotiation of a Gaza ceasefire in the coming days.

In a related development, the Pentagon disclosed on Tuesday that eight US service members sustained injuries during a drone assault on a base in Syria last week, marking the first official release of casualty figures from the incident.

Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder later informed reporters that three injured personnel had already resumed their duties. The eight service members were treated for traumatic brain injury and smoke inhalation.

Concurrently, Iran International has reported a serious escalation in the Deir Ezzor region in Syria, where Iran-backed tribal forces launched assaults on positions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The intensifying conflict underscores the volatile dynamics in the region as the Syrian regime and its Iranian allies endeavor to reassert control over territories held by the SDF and close to US forces.

The US initially moved troops into Syria to combat the rise of the Islamic State, a militant group that once controlled vast territories across the region. Today, the presence of approximately 900 US troops in Syria, alongside 2,500 in neighboring Iraq, continues to underscore their mission to support local forces in preventing any resurgence of this extremist threat, ensuring the group remains diminished.