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Syria
US forces patrol near the countryside of Rumaylan (Rmeilan) in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province near the Turkish border, on December 2, 2022. Photo:AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A pro-Iran militia group on Monday claimed that it had targeted US troops protecting an oil field in eastern Syria with a barrage of rockets as fears of the spillover of the Israel-Gaza conflict to the other parts of the Middle East grow.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq on Monday said on its Telegram channel that it carried out a rocket attack against the Conoco oil field which is protected by the US troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The oil field is located in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.
The pro-Iran militia group has claimed most of the recent attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, linking them to the US support for Israel against the Hamas Movement in Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon has blamed Iranian proxies for October’s strikes against American interests, putting the total number of attacks in Iraq and Syria at 20 on Saturday.
There have been more assaults since then.
At least 21 US personnel received minor injuries in attacks on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base and al-Tanf garrison on October 17 and 18, but all have returned to duty, according to the Pentagon.
One civilian contractor died in the initial attack on US troops at al-Asad air base after suffering a heart attack. Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi paid a visit to the air base the following day.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the CBS News on Sunday that his country’s troops have responded to threats against them in the Middle East and will continue doing so, warning that “[W]e are seeing elevated threats against our forces throughout the region, and an elevated risk of this conflict spreading to other parts of the region.”
“We are doing everything in our power to deter and prevent that. But I'm not going to predict what the future brings, other than to say that if we are attacked, we will respond,” he added.
United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen warned in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that “this status quo leaves #Syria at risk of drifting into deeper & prolonged fragmentation – & that it involves escalation risks of the most frightening kind.”
“Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun… Even before the regional developments, Syria was seeing the worst surge in violence in more than three years,” he added.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq on Monday said on its Telegram channel that it carried out a rocket attack against the Conoco oil field which is protected by the US troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The oil field is located in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor.
The pro-Iran militia group has claimed most of the recent attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, linking them to the US support for Israel against the Hamas Movement in Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon has blamed Iranian proxies for October’s strikes against American interests, putting the total number of attacks in Iraq and Syria at 20 on Saturday.
There have been more assaults since then.
At least 21 US personnel received minor injuries in attacks on Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base and al-Tanf garrison on October 17 and 18, but all have returned to duty, according to the Pentagon.
One civilian contractor died in the initial attack on US troops at al-Asad air base after suffering a heart attack. Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbassi paid a visit to the air base the following day.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the CBS News on Sunday that his country’s troops have responded to threats against them in the Middle East and will continue doing so, warning that “[W]e are seeing elevated threats against our forces throughout the region, and an elevated risk of this conflict spreading to other parts of the region.”
“We are doing everything in our power to deter and prevent that. But I'm not going to predict what the future brings, other than to say that if we are attacked, we will respond,” he added.
United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen warned in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that “this status quo leaves #Syria at risk of drifting into deeper & prolonged fragmentation – & that it involves escalation risks of the most frightening kind.”
“Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun… Even before the regional developments, Syria was seeing the worst surge in violence in more than three years,” he added.
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