DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ U.S. Repatriates 11 American Citizens From ISIS War Camps in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration has repatriated a family of 10 American citizens who had been stranded for years in desert camps and detention centers in Syria run by a Kurdish-led militia that battled the Islamic State, according to officials. The government also brought to the United States a pair of half brothers — only one of whom, said to be 7, is an American citizen. The resettlement of the other boy, who is said to be 9, is the first time the United States has taken in someone from the war zone who is not an American national. The government announced the early Tuesday transfer in a statement from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who said that there had been a “complex repatriation and resettlement” involving 11 American citizens, five of whom were minors, and the “9-year-old non-U.S. citizen sibling of one of the U.S. citizen minors.”He added: “This is the largest single repatriation of U.S. citizens from northeast Syria to date.”The statement announcing the transfer did not identify the 12 people. But two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details, said 10 were a family The New York Times had reported on in September, consisting of a woman named Brandy Salman and her nine American-born children, ranging from about 6 to about 25.

Persons: Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Brandy Salman Organizations: New York Times Locations: Syria, Kurdish, State, United States, American, U.S

☆ Exclusive-US-Backed Force in Syria: More Air Defence Needed After Deadly Drone Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Maya Gebeily(Reuters) - A force that has been the backbone of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State said additional air defences should be deployed in northeast Syria after six of its fighters were killed in a drone attack it blamed on pro-Iran factions. Mazloum Abdi, commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, said his force considered it "a dangerous development when our camps are targeted in drone attacks by factions backed by Iran." On Feb. 4, the SDF said an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups in eastern Syria killed six of their fighters. Asked whether he had requested additional military backing to fend off such attacks, Abdi said his Kurdish-led force would "require technical capabilities and an increase in the aerial defensive systems" deployed in northeast Syria. It holds a quarter of Syria, including oil fields and areas where some 900 U.S. troops are deployed.

Persons: Maya Gebeily, Mazloum Abdi, Jan, Abdi, That's, Bashar al, Assad, Phil Stewart, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S, Hamas, SDF, Reuters, Pentagon, State Department, White, Islamic Locations: U.S, Syria, Iran, State, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Jordan, Kurdish, Washington, Islamic State, Turkey

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military has launched strikes on dozens of sites manned by Iran-backed fighters in western Iraq and eastern Syria in retaliation for a drone strike in Jordan in late January that killed three U.S. service members and wounded dozens. A deadly strike on the desert outpost known as Tower 22 in Jordan near the Syrian border further increased tensions. The Euphrates River cuts through Syria into Iraq, with U.S. troops and American-backed Kurdish-led fighters on the east bank and Iran-backed fighters and Syrian government forces to the west. He said the strikes also hit an area inside the town of Mayadeen known as “the security quarter.”Iraqi government spokesperson Bassim al-Awadi said the border strikes killed 16 people and caused “significant damage” to homes and private properties. There have been no new attacks by the Houthis since the U.S. strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Guard’s, Ali, Ein Ali, Deir, Rami Abdurrahman, Omar Abu Layla, Bassim, Awadi, PMF Organizations: Hamas, U.S, Guard’s Quds Force, Human Rights, Popular Mobilization Force, Houthis Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, U.S, Tehran, Deir el, Hassakeh, American, Kurdish, Syrian, Iranian, Guard’s Quds, Boukamal, Quriya, Mayadeen, Britain, Europe, IRAN, Washington, Gaza, Iraqi, Irbil, Yemen

☆ U.S. Strikes 3 Sites in Iraq Linked to Militias Blamed for Base Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Eric Schmitt | More About Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The United States on Tuesday carried out military strikes against three facilities in western Iraq associated with Iran-linked militias that American officials say attacked a major base in Iraq on Saturday, according to the Pentagon’s Central Command, injuring at least four U.S. service members. “These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against U.S. and coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement. The attack against Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on Saturday was the latest and the most serious of about 151 such rocket and missile strikes directed at U.S. troops based in Iraq and Syria since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza started. Al Asad Air Base, in Iraq’s western desert, is now primarily used by Iraqi forces but still has a U.S. contingent. At least 83 U.S. personnel have suffered injuries in the attacks by militias in Syria and Iraq, including traumatic brain injuries.

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, Biden, Austin, Biden “ Organizations: Pentagon’s, Command, Central Command, U.S, ”, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Pentagon, Houthi Locations: States, Iraq, Iran, Iraq’s, Syria, Iranian, Al Asad Air, Gaza, United States, Britain, Yemen, Al, U.S, Kurdish Syrian, Islamic State

The U.S. strikes reflect the Biden administration's determination to maintain a delicate balance. According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. According to the Pentagon, all the U.S. personnel hurt in the militant attacks received minor injuries and all returned to duty. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on U.S. bases are routine. In March, for example, the U.S. struck sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after an Iranian-linked attack killed a U.S. contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Asad, Tanf Garrison, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, won’t, Ryder, ”, Israel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, U.S, Hamas, Air Force, Hamasa, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Udeid, Base, Islamic, Patriot, Area Defense, Fort Liberty, Patriots Locations: Syria, U.S, Iraq, Asad Airbase, Iranian, United States, Gaza, Israel, Ahli, Tel Aviv, America, American, Qatar, Deir el, ., Fort Bliss , Texas, Fort, North Carolina, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, East

☆ U.S. Strikes Iranian-Linked Targets in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Eric Schmitt | More About Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The targets represent a significant escalation in striking facilities used by Iran’s own forces in the region, not just the militias in Iraq and Syria that it helps arm and train. “These narrowly tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Mr. Austin said. Since Oct. 17, Iran-backed militia have carried out at least 12 rocket or one-way attack drone strikes against U.S. troops in Iraq and at least four attacks in Syria, Brig. There are 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria, mainly helping local allies conduct counterterrorism missions against the Islamic State. “I believe there is concern that our bases in Syria and Iraq, especially Syria, could be attacked by a wave of drones and it could overwhelm the defenses currently there,” Mick Mulroy, a former defense official and retired C.I.A.

Persons: Biden, Lloyd J, Austin III, Mr, Austin, ” Mr, “, Patrick S, Ryder, ” Mick Mulroy, General Ryder, Al Asad, we’ve, ” Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, American, U.S, ”, Hamas, U.S ., Pentagon, Iran, The Defense Department, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Islamic Locations: States, Syria, Iraq, Iran, East, U.S, Iranian, United States, Israel, Lebanon, Persian, Erbil, Al Asad Air, Brig, Islamic State

The incidents underscored the risks that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas could spiral into a wider war. Israel has responded to the Hamas attacks with airstrikes and a “complete siege” of Gaza, which the group controls. About 200 American troops are stationed at Al Tanf, whose main role is training Syrian militias to fight the Islamic State. There were unconfirmed reports on social media of additional drone attacks in Syria late Thursday. “Clearly, this is an uptick in terms of the types of drone activity we’ve seen in Iraq and Syria,” General Ryder said.

Persons: “, ”, Patrick Ryder, General Ryder, Biden, Gholamhossein Gheybparvar, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ” General Ryder, Al Tanf, Al Asad Organizations: U.S . Navy, Navy, Pentagon, Palestinian, Military, Senior Biden, American, Hamas, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran’s, Guards, Al, ”, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, military’s, Command Locations: U.S, Yemen, Israel, ” Brig, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Gaza, United States, Lebanon, Houthis, Syrian, Al, State, Al Asad Air

☆ Turkey's drones are a big hit in Ukraine, but they're also showing how they can pose a threat to the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drone has been praised for its performance against Russia in Ukraine. A Bayraktar TB2 drone, purchased in a crowdfunding campaign, displayed at a Lithuanian air base in July 2022. ReutersThe US no doubt supports Turkish drone sales to Ukraine and welcomes the TB2's success against Russian forces. In 2021, the US took issue with Turkey's sale of TB2 armed drones to Ethiopia during the Tigray War. The US government frequently touts its efforts to rally international support for Ukraine, and it undoubtedly welcomes the addition of Turkish TB2s Kyiv's arsenal.

Persons: Turkey's, —, Petras Malukas, TB2, Jodi Eastham, Pat Ryder, Ryder, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Joe Biden, GABRIEL BOUYS, Donald Trump, Biden, Paul Iddon Organizations: Russia, Service, Russian, Ukraine, Reuters, ISIS, Syrian Democratic Forces, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, US Army, Staff, Pentagon, Turkish Foreign Ministry, US, NATO, Getty, Turkish, Government, Islamic Locations: Ukraine, Turkey, Turkish, Kyiv, Ankara, Washington, Russia, Lithuanian, Syria, TB2s, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Ethiopia, Tigray, Kurdistan, Hasakah, United States, Madrid, AFP, Government of Turkey, Islamic State, Iraq, today's

The military "neutralised" 26 Kurdish militants in northern Syria overnight in retaliation for a rocket attack on a Turkish base, the defence ministry said. Turkey also conducted air strikes and destroyed 30 militant targets elsewhere in northern Syria, including an oil well, a storage facility and shelters, the defence ministry said. Turkey said the attackers came from Syria but the Syrian SDF forces denied this. The Turkish foreign ministry statement said that one of Turkey's drones was lost during operations against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria due to "different technical evaluations" with third parties on the ground. Turkey has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the YPG.

Persons: Ali Yerlikaya, Daren Butler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Nick Macfie Organizations: Syrian Kurdish, Kurdistan Workers Party, Syrian SDF, European Union, SDF, Islamic State, Pentagon, NATO, Kurdish, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Syria, Ankara, ISTANBUL, Turkish, Kurdish, Syrian, Syria's, Iraq, Agri, TURKISH, U.S, United States, Washington, Hasakah

☆ U.S. officials visit Syria's Deir al Zor in bid to defuse Arab tribal unrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An American soldier sits on a military vehicle, at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria March 23, 2019. An Arab tribal backlash against the rule of the Kurdish YPG militia has led to clashes, with over 150 killed and dozens injured. Arab tribal fighters initially drove out the Kurdish-led forces from several large towns but the SDF has begun to regain the upper hand. Arab tribal leaders say they have been deprived of their oil wealth after the Kurdish-led forces laid their hands on Syria's biggest oil wells after the departure of Islamic State. Washington has pushed for a bigger say for Arab inhabitants in running their affairs in SDF areas, Western diplomats say.

Persons: Omar, Aboud, Syria Ethan Goldrich, Joel B Vowell, Deir al Zor, Sheikh Mahmoud al Jarallah, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, SDF, Senior U.S, Kurdish YPG, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, U.S, State Department, Thomson Locations: American, al, Deir Al Zor, Syria, Iran, AMMAN, Zor, U.S, Islamic State, Arab, Busayrah, Shuhail, Kurdish, Russia, Damascus, Deir al, Washington

☆ America's foes are teaming up to push the US military out of the Middle East, and it's messing up plans to fight terror
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia and Iran are working together with Syria to ultimately push US forces out of the country. US officials and war experts say these efforts are hurting the international fight against ISIS. AP Photo/Baderkhan AhmadBoth Russia and Iran are allied with the brutal Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad. What are Russia, Iran, and Syria doing? In early July, a Russian fighter jet flew 18 close passes near American MQ-9 Reaper drones during a two-hour-long encounter.

Persons: Baderkhan Ahmad, Bashar al, Assad, Qassem Soleimani, Sabrina Singh, Singh Organizations: ISIS, Service, Islamic, Institute for, American Enterprise Institute, Syrian Democratic Forces, AP, Washington, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Force, Ukraine, American, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Iran, Syria, Wall, Silicon, Washington, Deir Ezzor, Moscow, Tehran, Iraq, Russian, Palmyra, Hasakah

☆ Sweden is in the final stretch to NATO membership. But Turkey could yet derail it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a NATO summit in Madrid, Spain June 29, 2022. With much at stake for Turkey, Sweden, and the NATO alliance, whichever direction Turkey moves in will have significant consequences for them all. "Turkey's blockade on Sweden's NATO progression isn't a clear-cut ticket to economic fallout, but it is playing with fire," said Guney Yildiz, a researcher focused on Turkey and Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday. "Either Turkey approves Sweden's NATO membership at Vilnius or it risks a major break in relations with the West and at a time when Turkey's macro is on the edge.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Doce, —, Joe Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Washington, Erdogan, Biden, Ryan Bohl, Rane, Guney, Syria Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Kamal Alam, Christine Olsson, Alam, Guney Yildiz, Yildiz, Timothy Ash, Ash Organizations: NATO, Reuters NATO, Nordic, Ankara, Turkish, East, CNBC, Russia, Kurdish Workers ' Party, Atlantic Council, Kurdish Democratic Society Center, Afp, Getty, ISIS, EU, Anadolu Agency, BlueBay Asset Management, West Locations: Madrid, Spain, Vilnius, Lithuania, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, EU, Ankara, Turkish, North Africa, Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Syria, Moscow, Kyiv, Stockholm, Kurdish, Europe, East Syria

☆ Two local officials in northeast Syria killed by Turkish drone, Kurdish authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QAMISHLI, Syria, June 20 (Reuters) - Two local civilian officials and their driver were killed in Syria's Kurdish-run northeast on Tuesday when their car was targeted by a Turkish drone strike, regional Kurdish authorities said. Kurdish medical sources and a security source said a Turkish drone had targeted their car in the village of Tal Shaeer in northeast Syria. It named the figure as Ridvan Ulugana and said he had been active in operations targeting the Turkish military. It did not say that any civilians were killed, or mention Tal Shaeer. (This story has been corrected to fix Chamoun's first name and job title in paragraph 2)Reporting by Orhan Qereman in Qamishli, Syria; Daren Butler and Huseyin Hayatsever in Turkey; writing by Maya Gebeily; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yusra Darwish, Liman Shawish, Gabriel Chamoun, Tal Rifaat, Tal Shaeer, Ulugana, Orhan Qereman, Daren Butler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: MIT, Turkish, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Thomson Locations: QAMISHLI, Syria, Turkish, Kurdish, Qamishli, Tal Shaeer, Tal, Turkey, Syria's, Ankara, United States, Islamic State

☆ 4 US military helicopter crashes in recent months have killed 14 service members and injured nearly a couple dozen more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A US military MH-47 Chinook crashed in Syria earlier this week, injuring 22 soldiers. It's the latest helicopter in a string of crashes during non-combat missions to result in casualties. Three other crashes involving US military aircraft this year have killed 14 troops. The Chinook accident followed several previous helicopter crashes earlier this year, which eventually forced the US Army to temporarily ground its aircraft except those participating in critical missions. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Idaho National GuardIn one mid-February incident, two Tennessee Army National Guard pilots were killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training flight in Alabama.

Persons: —, Sabrina Singh, Singh, James McConville, McConville Organizations: Service, Central Command, Pentagon, Defense, US Army, UH, Hawk, Guard, Tennessee Army National Guard, Tennessee's Department, Apache, CNN Locations: Syria, CENTCOM's, East, Central, South Asia, Alabama, Kentucky, Alaska

☆ Twenty-two U.S. troops wounded in Syria helicopter mishap, U.S. says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which control swathes of northeast Syria, referred questions to the U.S.-led coalition under which American troops are deployed in the zone. In March, 25 U.S. troops were wounded in strikes and counter-strikes in Syria, which also killed one U.S. contractor and injured another. U.S. forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country. U.S. officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.

Persons: Obama, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: U.S, military's, Command, U.S . Central Command, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic State, Islamic Locations: Syria, U.S, Kurdish, Damascus, Islamic State, Iran, State, Iraq, Russia, Iranian

There are about 900 U.S. personnel deployed to Syria, most of them in the east, as part of a mission fighting the remnants of the Islamic State. In March, 25 U.S. troops were wounded in strikes and counter-strikes in Syria, which also killed one U.S. contractor and injured another. U.S. forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country. U.S. officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.

Persons: Obama, Bashar al, Assad, Phil Stewart, Kanjyik Ghosh, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, military's, Command, U.S . Central Command, Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Syria, U.S, Islamic State, Iran, Kurdish, State, Iraq, Russia, Iranian, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Syria's Kurds to begin trials for IS detainees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Saturday, the Kurdish-led administration said in an online statement that it had decided to submit detainees to its own "open, free and transparent trials" following the international community's lagging response. The issue of foreign fighters is one of the most complex security and rights issues in Syria's 12-year war. A Western diplomat working on Syria told Reuters the administration's decision was a surprise. We take it very seriously that they are holding a lot of people – but this is a separate issue from trying them. The diplomat said such trials would need particularly high levels of security and that the risk of a breakout by IS fighters would become higher.

Persons: IS's, Badran Jia Kurd, Jia Kurd, Letta Tayler, It's, Orhan Qereman, Maya Gebeily, Frances Kerry Organizations: Islamic, Reuters, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: QAMISHLI, Syria, BEIRUT, Kurdish, U.S, Damascus, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Syrian, Qamishli, Beirut

We are not bound by the West’s sanctions,” Erdogan told CNN’s Becky Anderson. APBy contrast, Erdogan has doubled down on his relationship with Putin – and he thinks the West should follow suit. “This was possible because of our special relationship with President Putin,” he told CNN, referring to the grain deal. In his interview with CNN, Erdogan tackled another key flashpoint in Turkish tensions with the West: Sweden’s accession to NATO. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells CNN's Becky Anderson, left, he expects voters who value stability and confidence to back him in the May 28 runoff vote.

The United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria on the day of the drone attack. Photo: Rick Bajornas/Un/Zuma PressAn Iranian-backed militia in northern Iraq was behind the drone attack that killed a U.S. military contractor in northeast Syria on March 23 and wounded more than two dozen American civilian and military personnel, according to U.S. officials. The Iraqi origin of that attack hasn’t been previously reported but was acknowledged by a senior U.S. military official Saturday in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal.

The United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria on on the day of the drone attack. Photo: Rick Bajornas/Un/Zuma PressAn Iranian-backed militia in northern Iraq was behind the drone attack that killed a U.S. military contractor in northeast Syria on March 23 and wounded more than two dozen American civilian and military personnel, according to U.S. officials. The Iraqi origin of that attack has not been previously reported but was acknowledged by a senior U.S. military official Saturday in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal.

CNN —Iran smuggled weapons and military equipment into Syria using humanitarian aid shipments as a cover following a devastating earthquake there in February, two sources familiar with US intelligence and an Israeli defense official told CNN. Intelligence officials believe the weapons were destined for Iranian proxy groups in Syria, who have repeatedly attacked US military personnel stationed there as part of the anti-ISIS coalition. “The humanitarian assistance of Iran to Syria was used as an umbrella of moving weapons capabilities into the region,” the Israeli defense official said. Reuters earlier reported that regional and western officials believed Iran was smuggling the weapons under the guise of earthquake relief. Foreign aid poured into Syria and Turkey after February’s earthquake, which killed more than 50,000 people.

☆ Syrians split over government readmission into Arab League
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Readmitting Syria into the Arab League was a "shock" for Syrians and would "kill the political process", said Bader Jamous, the head of the opposition's negotiating team in stalled United Nations peace talks. The opposition was for years backed by countries now supporting normalisation, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Writing on Twitter, Jamous said Assad's opponents had "not been consulted" about the Arab League decisions. Some Syrian political activists with ties to the government - including former deputy prime minister Qadri Jamil - cautiously encouraged the move in an online statement. And a Facebook page publishing news from the campuses of various Syrian universities posted a stock photograph of Syria's seat at the Arab League with the caption: "After 12 years, the Arab League comes back to life."

☆ The US and its allies are stuck in a violent cycle with Iran-backed militias who want blood but don't want to 'poke the bear'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

But even still, miscalculation is possible, and these deadly exchanges nearly sent the US and Iran to war just a few years ago. In response, two US Air Force F-15E fighter jets carried out airstrikes later that evening against IRGC Quds Force facilities in Syria, killing eight Iran-backed militants. Angel Ruszkiewicz"We do not seek conflict with Iran, we don't seek escalation with Iran," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. "As soon as the Iranian special forces and their proxies showed up in Syria, the Israelis started hitting them. The next day, Iran-backed militias attacked US forces near Hasakah, killing the American contractor.

U.S. forces in Syria are coming under renewed pressure from Iran-backed militias, illustrating Washington’s challenges as it seeks to pull back from the Middle East while the influence of geopolitical rivals China and Russia is growing in the region. The latest series of tit-for-tat strikes began Thursday when militants carried out a drone attack on U.S. forces in northeast Syria, killing an American contractor and wounding six other Americans. The U.S. accused Iran of backing the attacks and sent two F-15Es to bomb sites it said were used by Iran-backed forces in Syria, the U.S. military said. Hours later, militants fired 10 rockets at a second U.S. base in eastern Syria, including one the military said missed by 3 miles and hit a house, injuring two women and two children.

[1/2] U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Army General Mark Milley speaks with U.S. forces in Syria during an unannounced visit, at a U.S. military base in Northeast Syria, March 4, 2023. The attack against U.S. personnel took place at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. (1038 GMT) on Thursday, it said. The other two wounded American troops were treated at the base in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said. Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country. American officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.

Search resuls for: "East Syria"

25 mentions found