US Okays Plan to Strike Iranian Targets in Syria, Iraq – Officials Reveal
US authorities have greenlit a series of strikes targeting Iranian sites in Syria and Iraq, according to officials speaking to CBS News, a US partner of the BBC.
These strikes are set to unfold over several days, contingent upon the weather conditions for their launch.
The decision follows a drone assault that claimed the lives of three US soldiers in Jordan near the Syrian border last Sunday.
The United States has attributed responsibility for the attack to an Iranian-supported militia group.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, purportedly comprised of various militias supported, financed, and trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force, has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Iran, however, has refuted any involvement in the attack, which also wounded 41 other US service members at the Tower 22 military base.
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US officials maintain that American intelligence indicates the drone deployed in the assault was of Iranian origin, resembling drones Iran has been supplying to Russia amid its incursion into Ukraine.
At a news conference on Thursday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin defended the delayed military response, saying: “We will respond where we choose, when we choose and how we choose.”
“I think everyone recognises the challenge associated with making sure that we hold the right people accountable,” he said, adding that there is no “set formula for doing this”.
“There are ways to manage this so it doesn’t spiral out of control. And that’s been our focus throughout,” Mr Austin continued.
Officials who spoke to CBS News refrained from providing a precise timeline for potential strikes. They indicated that the US military might initiate them during adverse weather conditions but expressed a preference for improved visibility to minimize the risk of unintentionally harming civilians.
President Joe Biden has faced increasing pressure from Republican lawmakers, including some of Washington’s most fervent advocates for hawkish policies toward Iran, to target sites within Iranian territory.
However, despite repeated assurances to retaliate against the drone attack, Mr. Biden and other defense officials have asserted that Washington is not actively pursuing a broader conflict with Iran or an escalation of tensions in the region.
“That’s not what I’m looking for,” Mr Biden told reporters at the White House earlier this week.
The purportedly authorized plans seem to focus on targeting Iranian assets in Syria and Iraq, rather than within Iran itself.
(BBC)
