US-Iran tit for tat aerial game in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Recently, talks have emerged signifying that the US and Iran were to restore nuclear deal amid escalation between the two states on Syrian territory.
Following months of clam, Syria’s eastern region witnessed unprecedented escalation between the US forces and the Iranian-backed militias.
On August 15, two drone attacks were carried out against US troops positioned in al-Tanf Base in Syria’s Desert.
The US took long time to retaliate. However, response was painful and productive as it struck facilities it said used by Iranian-backed militias in Syria.
The attack was to protect the US troops in Syria, US military personnel said, if not attacked they will not take the initiative.
“I directed the August 23 strikes to protect and defend the safety of our personnel … and to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement to the US Congress over his decision to take military action.
Iran denied the attack carried out by militias affiliated with Tehran. However, Washington said otherwise.
“I think, based on the strikes that we have taken, we have sent a very loud and clear message and a proportional message, that any threat against our forces who are operating in Syria, or anywhere, will not be tolerated,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder after the airstrikes.
Iran is a staunch strategic ally and an ideological partner to the Syrian government against the Sunni bloc in the region which has been divided by sectarianism since 2011.
The US, leading the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, has troops on the ground in Syria since 2015 within the mission to combat ISIS.
Observers attribute the attacks by the Iranian-backed militias as retaliation for the Israeli strikes against Iranian sites in Syria.
This could have some bases to build on. The day before August 15 attack was carried out, three Syrian government soldiers were killed in an attack on a site in the coastal city of Tartus, according to the Syrian state-run SANA news agency.
Senior US officials told The Times that drone attacks carried out on August 15 against the al-Tanf base in Syria, was more sophisticated than previous attacks and may have been an Iranian attempt to respond to a previous Israeli airstrike.
On August 25, the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) complex in Masyaf, a town close to the city of Hama in central Syria, was struck by the warplanes allegedly Israelis.
A depot containing 1.000 Iranian-made missiles was destroyed. The explosions were so big and fires erupted in many areas nearby.
Nobody claimed the responsibility yet, however, such attacks are usually attributed to Israel.
It seems that both the US and Iran have decided to go on a tit for tat aerial strikes in Syria.