On Monday, minute clash happened between pro-Iranian militias and US-led coalition in eastern Syria, after deadly US air strikes in Iraq and Syria the previous night.
Coalition spokesman Wayne Marotto said on Twitter, US forces “were attacked by multiple rockets” in eastern Syria, but there were no casualties, and personnel “conducted counter-battery artillery fire at rocket launching positions.”
According to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, Iran-backed militants fired shells on US base in eastern Syria s Al-Omar oil field, and said, in reaction heavy artillery fired by coalition at militia-controlled town of Al-Mayadeen.
The skirmish triggered just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that US air strikes on pro-Iran fighters in Iraq and Syria on Sunday night sent a “strong message” not to keep attacking US forces in Iraq.
Since US president Jeo Biden took office, US air strikes were the second devastating one on pro-Iran targets due to which a fear of new US-Iran escalation is triggered that is at the edge of weakening efforts to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
On a visit to Rome, Blinken told reporters. “This action is in self-defense. sends a very important and strong message.”
“I would hope that the message… will be heard and deter future action,” he added, referring to repeated attacks against US interests in Iraq that Washington blames on pro-Iran groups while Damascus condemned a violation against both nations.
The Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary alliance said, “The strikes killed four of its fighters in the Qaim region, near the border with Syria.”
Fights were located there in order to prevent jihadists to penetrate Iraq, the group said, the ground denied to take part in any attack against US interest and personnel and warned, that they the legal right to respond… and hold the perpetrators accountable on Iraqi soil”.
Operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations targeted in Syria and one in Iraq, all near common borders used by the militias, against US interest in Iraq, the Pentagon said
Outrageous violation
According to Pentagon, two Iraqi Shiite armed factions, Kataeb Hezbollah and Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada between “several Iran-backed militia groups” that had used the facilities.
On the basis of observatory and sources reports, Seven fighters were killed in the strikes and at least six more were wounded, Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
Syria s state-run SANA news agency said one child was killed, while its foreign ministry condemned the raid as “a flagrant violation of the sanctity of Syrian and Iraqi territory”.
In order to contain jihadist Islamic State group, US have interest to deploy 2500 American troops as part of international coalition and this year US.
Iraq s foreign ministry said that the government was proceeding with investigations to “prevent any escalation”, while Kadhemi re-emphasized his country s “refusal to be an arena for settling scores”.
For peace and stability in Iraq, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reaffirmed “France s support for the stability and sovereignty of Iraq”, but deplored the “unacceptable attacks… against the interests” of the anti-IS coalition.
The attacks were condemned by Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
The pro-Iran group said, what US warplanes have done is an indiscriminate and undisguised attack on sovereignty. And the region will not enjoy stability… until US forces are expelled.”
In order to support regime forces and to further Iran s interests in the country Some of the militia groups that form the Hashed al-Shaabi have been deployed in war-torn Syria.
According to the Observatory, 20 Iran’s back militias were killed by US strikes in eastern Syria in Feb.
