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The Pentagon confirmed that the attack was ordered by Joe Biden (Photo: Alex Brandon / Pool via REUTERS).
We will tell you the main thing about where, how and why this operation was performed.
US airstrike on a militant base in Syria: what happened
On the night of February 26 (around 01:00 Kiev time), the US Air Force. a series of strikes against the unofficial «border point “on Syria’s eastern border with Iraq… Iranian-backed militant groups have used it to smuggle weapons and move between the two countries, according to the Pentagon.
According to the New York Times, seven 500-pound bombs were dropped on a group of buildings. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed the attack was carried out «by order of US President Joe Biden ”, and as a result of the attack, US forces destroyed several facilities used by the militants.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) stated that 17 fighters from pro-Iranian armed formations were killed as a result of the raid, but this data is considered unconfirmed.
The Pentagon and the White House explicitly state that the attack was a response to a recent series of militant attacks in Iraq, during which he suffered
The attack was carried out as close to the border with Iraq as possible, but still in Syria, “to avoid a diplomatic response from the Iraqi government,” the NYT said.
«The operation gives an unequivocal signal: President Biden Will Act to Protect Staff [войск] America and the coalition, “said John Kirby, calling the air strike «a commensurate military response ”. He also clarified that the United States held diplomatic consultations with coalition partners before carrying out the attack.
The attack was later commented on by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin: according to him, the attack was based on Iraqi intelligence and the United States is confident of hitting the target with precision.
«We are confident in the target we are tracking and we know where we hit it, ”Austin said. – We are sure that the target was used by the same Shiite militia that attacked [ранее в Ираке]».
We are talking about the groups of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhad and Kataib Hezbollah (considered terrorist in the United States), supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Iran).
A Series of Anti-American Strikes in Iraq: Prerequisites for the First Operation Biden
The attacks, mentioned by US military officials, have occurred in recent weeks.
On February 16, the city of Erbil in Iraq was attacked with rockets. (populated mainly by Kurds). As a result, six people were injured, including one American soldier and four American contract workers. Another dead person was a contractor from the Philippines.
The attack took place near the local airport, near which the US military base is located. Structures in residential areas were also damaged.
The little-known organization Saray Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for the attack, which had previously targeted US forces in Iraq. (in August 2020). In the United States, this group is considered a front for the most famous Shiite paramilitary organizations.
Y Baghdad’s green zone was bombed on February 22 – the diplomatic area where the
In the wake of the attacks, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States was investigating their possible relationship and would not announce retaliatory measures until the investigation was complete.
On February 24, Joe Biden spoke about the rocket attacks during a telephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. The politicians agreed “that those responsible for these attacks must be held accountable,” the White House said in a statement following Biden’s conversation with al-Kadhimi.
Why this operation was necessary and how is it evaluated
The Pentagon offered Joe Biden bigger targets to attack February 26 in Syria, but the US president finally approved «a less aggressive option, “reports the NYT, citing sources in official circles. Reuters sources confirm that at this stage, the White House would not want to provoke a broader conflict in the region.
Pentagon President John Kirby called the main target of the attack the aspiration of the US administration. «reduce the general escalation of the situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq. “
but Experts consider Iran the key political target of the attack..
The Washington Post recalls that the airstrike was carried out amid the Biden administration’s attempts to return Iran to the negotiating table and resume the role of the nuclear deal with Tehran, from which Washington withdrew at the decision of Donald Trump. .
«Iran appears to be rejecting Biden’s early attempts to reopen diplomatic contact for now, and the United States remains outside the box for now. [ядерного] agreement. The air strike appears to be part of a message from the United States to Iran that it will not be able to increase its influence in the negotiations by attacking the interests of the United States, ”writes WP.
The post also quotes Bilal Saab, former Pentagon employee and now senior fellow at the Institute for the Middle East… “The airstrike, as I understand it, was intended to set the tone [в диалоге] with Tehran and curb his inflated self-confidence on the eve of the negotiations, “Saab said. In his opinion, the United States would hardly want to start negotiations with Tehran. «with a bruise on his face after the attack in Erbil “ (where US citizens and the US military have suffered).
NYT expressed a similar position and Michael Mulroy, Former Pentagon Senior Policy Officer for the Middle East… In his view, Biden’s first airstrike in Syria was to call for a demonstration to Iran that it will not be able to shirk responsibility for the strikes against Americans, even if the strikes are carried out indirectly, through nearby militants. to Iran in Iraq.
In the United States, Biden’s decision was supported not only by members of the president’s party, but also Republican Party representatives.
Republican Michael McCall, a member of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Relations, approved the attack in Syria. He named such steps «a necessary deterrent, “which should remind Iran,” its henchmen and our enemies around the world “that attacks on American interests will not be tolerated.
And Republican Senator Marco Rubio described the airstrike in Syria as «proportionate and necessary measure ”.
