An Iraqi “resistance” group has claimed drone strikes against American outposts
FILE PHOTO: US military vehicle is seen on a patrol in the countryside near the town of Qamishli, Syria, Dec 4, 2022 © AP / Baderkhan Ahmad
As many as three locations in Syria where US troops are illegally deployed have been targeted by the “Islamic Resistance” of Iraq, the group said in a statement on Monday, quoted by local media outlets. The Pentagon claimed that US troops had intercepted at least two UAVs while taking no casualties or damage.
Citing sources on the ground, the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen channel reported on Monday that “explosions could be heard” at the Al-Omar oilfield in the Deir-ez-Zor province. There were also reports of drone strikes at Al-Shadadi in Hasakah province and At-Tanf, the heavily fortified American base in the south of Syria.
A group calling itself ‘The Islamic Resistance in Iraq’ claimed responsibility for the attacks, issuing a statement that it targeted US bases near Al-Omar and Al-Shaddadi, and achieved “direct hits” on the bases of “American occupation.” Images circulating alongside the statement, however, turned out to be from 2019.
American troops on Monday morning “destroyed two one-way attack drones near US and Coalition forces in southwest Syria before they reached their intended targets,” the US Central Command said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. There were no casualties or damage from the attack, CENTCOM added, noting that it was “vigilantly monitoring the situation in the region and will take necessary and proportionate action” to defend US troops.
Up to 1,000 US troops are currently deployed in Syria, occupying key oil fields and Euphrates river crossings with the support of a Kurdish-led militia. The government in Damascus has repeatedly protested that their presence goes against international law.
US President Joe Biden fueled rumors of a drone attack by interrupting the “Bidenomics” event and saying he had to deal with “another issue” in the White House Situation Room. According to Reuters, there was no emergency, only a routine briefing on the current situation in Israel.
The White House and the Pentagon have pointed to Iran as the force behind a recent string of drone and rocket attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq. Tehran is “actively facilitating” these attacks, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday, accusing Iran of also supporting Hamas and Hezbollah militias in their conflict with Israel.
