United States carried out two more strikes on Iran-backed groups in Syria on November 12, 2023. The strikes targeted facilities used by Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada in the eastern Deir Ezzor province.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that the strikes were carried out in response to repeated attacks on US and coalition personnel in eastern Syria. CENTCOM said that the strikes were “precise and deliberate” and that they “destroyed multiple facilities used by these groups, including ammunition depots and command and control centers.”
The strikes are the latest in a series of US attacks on Iran-backed groups in Syria. The US has carried out dozens of strikes on these groups since 2017, when the Trump administration launched a campaign to “defeat ISIS and deny Iran the ability to exploit Syria as a platform for its regional destabilization campaign.”
The strikes have been condemned by the Syrian government and by Iran. Iran has vowed to retaliate for the strikes, and it has warned the US that it will “pay a price” for its actions.
The US strikes on Iran-backed groups in Syria have raised concerns about a potential escalation of tensions between the US and Iran. The two countries have been engaged in a tense standoff since the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
It remains to be seen how Iran will respond to the US strikes. However, it is clear that the US is determined to prevent Iran from using Syria as a base to launch attacks on US and coalition personnel.