Two days after a large-scale American attack that targeted military sites of a militia backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced the targeting of US military sites in Syria.

The Islamic Resistance released today, Monday, February 5, a video recording showing the moment of striking the American al-Omar oil field base east of Deir Ezzor governorate.

The targeting, which occurred on Sunday, was preceded by a similar attack on the Kharab al-Jir base east of al-Hasakah governorate, where the US-led International Coalition Forces (ICF) are stationed.

Hours after the US bombardment, the Islamic Resistance bombarded the American “Harir” base in Erbil, northern Iraq, and released a video recording showing the moment a drone was launched towards the same base.

The Islamic Resistance is a coalition of military factions referred to by the United States as being agent for Iran, and they are spread in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. They are responsible for most of the attacks that have targeted American bases in Syria and Iraq since mid-October 2023.

Washington said on its part, on February 2, after targeting 85 sites in Syria and Iraq, that it had struck command and control centers, intelligence facilities, and weapons storage facilities used by militias supported by Iran to attack US forces and coalition forces.

The spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, said following the same attacks that his country had struck targets that would impact the ability of the Iran-backed militias to launch future strikes against Americans, according to a recorded press conference published by the White House.

Reuters quoted US officials estimating that Iran manufactured the drone that attacked the American base, resulting in the death of three American soldiers and wounding at least 40 others.

The US attacks came in response to a drone attack that resulted in the death of three American soldiers and wounded more than 40 others at a military point known as “Tower 22” on the border triangle between Syria, Iraq, and Jordan.

Washington: No broader conflict with Iran

During the announcement of the start of the airstrikes against the groups loyal to Iran in Syria and Iraq, Washington repeated its statement that it does not want a broader conflict with Iran, noting that Iran also does not want war.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said at that time that the United States is not seeking conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world, but it will respond in the case of targeting any Americans.

On January 30, following the announcement of the identity of the killed American soldiers, the deputy press secretary for the Pentagon, Sabrina Singh, held a press conference where she responded to the journalists’ questions and repeatedly held Iran responsible for the attack.

Although the US position has not changed, as Washington still avoids a direct confrontation with Tehran, Singh said that the attack on an American military base in Jordan is an “escalatory attack,” but her country does not want a broad-scale regional war.

The United States sees the escalation against American bases in Syria and Iraq as aiming to push Washington to withdraw its forces from the region.

The Pentagon’s press secretary, Pat Ryder, previously said that the agents of Iran are exploiting the ongoing war in Gaza to push the United States towards withdrawal from Syria and Iraq.

Ryder added in a recorded press conference that Iranian agents are trying to take advantage of the war in Gaza to achieve their own objectives.

In the case of Iraq and Syria, these groups have long aspired to see American forces leave, according to Ryder, who pointed out that the presence of his country’s forces in Iraq came at the invitation of the Iraqi government and focuses only on defeating the Islamic State organization, without referring to the rationales for their deployment in Syria.

Ryder considered that the war ongoing in Palestine has been contained, but Iranian agents continue their attempts to exploit the situation.