Washington vows to defend regional interests after dual attacks within 24 hours

Shafaq News/ The US State Department condemned, on Tuesday, the two attacks on its forces in Syria and Iraq within less than 24 hours after three months of pausing.

"We find it especially troubling that this militia group chose to resume its attacks against US personnel just hours after Prime Minister Sudani of Iraq had completed a successful visit to Washington, so it seems clear that Iran has no respect for Iraqi sovereignty." The US Department of State spokesperson, Mathew Miller, said in a press briefing.

Asked if Washington links the attacks directly to Iran, the Spokesperson said, "These (factions) are proxy groups that are sponsored by Iran, absolutely," warning, "We have made quite clear to Iran, we've made quite clear to Iran's proxy groups that we will defend our interests, we will defend our personnel, and that continues to be the case."

On Sunday, Five rockets were fired from Hamad Agha village in the Zummar district, northwest of Mosul, towards the American base at Khirbet Al-Jir in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah with the US-led military Coalition in Iraq and Syria, destroying a ground-based launcher in self-defense, sources told Shafaq News agency.

An armed drone followed the attack, targeting the US forces at Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq's western Al-Anbar.

There was no severe damage or casualties in the two attacks, and the Global Coalition did not comment.

Despite fingers pointing to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, as it attacked the US troops about 200 times before February 2024, the Sabreen News, a popular Telegram group close to the Resistance factions, said, "For the past 48 hours, Hezbollah Brigades of the Islamic Resistance has not issued any official statements on their official platforms or through their spokespersons. Reports circulating in the media are currently considered hearsay until official sources confirm."

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is under intense pressure from pro-Iran factions to remove American troops from Iraq.

Last Saturday, Iraqi armed factions announced a temporary "media silence" as they await discussions with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani regarding the outcomes of his meetings in the United States concerning the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

Sources within the armed factions revealed to Shafaq News Agency that the "coordination body of the resistance faction" called all spokespersons and leaders to halt public statements, even regarding the recent attack at a Popular Mobilization Forces' camp in Babil.

Notably, the United States maintains a military presence of 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and nearly 900 troops across the border in Syria as part of the Coalition established in 2014 to combat ISIS.

The incident came after high tensions in Iraq between Iraqi armed factions and the government over the presence of the US forces in the country.

In January 2020, Iraq's Parliament approved a non-binding resolution urging the government to remove foreign troops from the country amid escalating tensions between Iran and the US and after the killing of the prominent Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad with the leader in the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, in an American strike.

However, the situation has escalated after October 7.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression in Gaza, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) has regularly attacked the US interests in Iraq and Syria.

The deadliest attack was in Jordan when Kataeb Hezbollah killed three American soldiers at a US base.

IRI stated that its operations are to "expel the American occupation" and in support of "Palestinian brothers."

In a series of retaliation, the US military launched airstrikes on sites related to Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, killing members of Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq and commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon's Hezbollah in Syria.

Notably, activities had subsided since early February, a month after Washington and Baghdad announced the resumption of talks within the joint Higher Military Commission (HMC) to discuss the threat of ISIS, the operational environment, and the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces.