(MENAFN- Asia Times) US bombers struck dozens of sites across Iraq and Syria on Feb. 2, 2024, to avenge a drone attack that killed three American service members just days earlier.
The retaliatory strikes were the first following a deadly assault on a US base in Jordan that US officials blamed on Iranian-backed militias. Sites associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were among those hit by American bombs.
The Conversation turned to American University's Sara Harmouch and Nakissa Jahanbani at the US Military Academy at West Point's Combating terrorism Center – both experts on Iran's relationship with its network of proxies – to explain what the US strikes hoped to achieve and what could happen next.
Who was targeted in the US retaliatory strikes?
The US response extended beyond targeting Al-Muqawama al-Islamiyah fi al-Iraq, or Islamic Resistance in Iraq , the entity claiming responsibility for the drone attack on January 28.
This term, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, does not refer to a single group per se. Rather, it encompasses an umbrella organization that has, since around 2020, integrated various Iran-backed militias in the region.
Iran officially denied any involvement in the January 28 drone strike. But the Islamic Resistance in Iraq is known to be part of the networks of militia groups that Tehran supports with money, weapons and training through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force .
In recent months, parts of this network of Iran-backed militias have claimed responsibility for more than 150 attacks on bases housing US forces in Syria and Iraq.
As such, the US retaliatory strikes targeted over 85 sites across Iraq and Syria, all associated with Iranian-supported groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The US operation's stated aim is to deter further Iranian-backed aggression. Specifically, in Syria, the US executed several airstrikes, reportedly resulting in the death of at least 18 militia group members and the destruction of dozens of locations in Al-Mayadeen and Deir el-Zour , a key stronghold of Iranian-backed forces.
In Iraq, the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state security apparatus comprising groups backed by Iran, reported that US strikes resulted in the deaths of 16 of its members , including both fighters and medics.
MENAFN06022024000159011032ID1107813951
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.