United States-led coalition forces started live-fire exercises at bases in Iraq and Syria this week after multiple attacks on American soldiers in the past week, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The task force that operates the mission in Iraq and Syria to initially combat the ISIS terrorist group confirmed to media outlets that ground exercises are being carried out “to validate weapons systems and maintain crew proficiency and readiness” in the region.
“On Oct. 25, 2023, Coalition service members will be conducting ground operational exercises in or near the al-Hasakah region in Syria to validate weapons systems and maintain crew proficiency and readiness,” the Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve stated. Another notice said that forces will carry out defense of bases and “ground operational exercises in or near the Khalidiyah region in Iraq.”
The Department of Defense confirmed this week that U.S. forces were attacked around a dozen times in Iraq and three times in Syria between Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, leaving approximately two dozen injured. Those attacks included rockets, drones, and other means, officials said.
“There have been a few reports of TBIs as well as some minor injuries from service members,” one of the alleged U.S. officials told the outlet, using the acronym for traumatic brain injuries. The service members have returned to active duty, the official said.
Department of Defense spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, in confirming the attacks, noted that they come in the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict that erupted earlier this month after Hamas, a designated terrorist group, attacked areas across southern Israel, leaving hundreds of civilians dead. In turn, Israel’s military has launched an extensive bombing campaign targeting Gaza, the area where Hamas controls.
“We know that the groups conducting these attacks are supported by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and the Iranian regime,” Mr. Ryder said in a news briefing. “What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel across the region, in the very near term, coming from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran.”
U.S. officials have also expressed fears that Gaza’s war has already kindled conflict well beyond its borders. Israeli planes struck Syrian army infrastructure in response to rockets fired from Syria, a longtime ally of Iran.
Syrian state media said Israel had killed eight soldiers and wounded seven near the southwestern city of Deraa, and hit Aleppo airport in the northwest, already out of action. Israel did not accuse the Syrian army of launching rockets but is suspicious of Iran, its arch-enemy which has a significant military and security presence in Syria.
Iran has sought regional ascendancy for decades and backs armed groups in Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere as well as Hamas. It has warned Israel to stop its onslaught on Gaza. Israel said its forces also hit five squads in south Lebanon preparing attacks.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting Israel on Tuesday, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that France stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel in its war with Hamas but that it must not fight “without rules.”Mr. Netanyahu said Israel would try to protect civilians as it worked to ensure they “will no longer live under Hamas tyranny.”
There appeared to be little prospect of a ceasefire any time soon in the bloodiest chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with civilian suffering spreading.
Israeli tanks and troops are massed on the border between Israel and Gaza awaiting orders for an expected ground invasion. It is an operation that may be complicated by fears for the hostages’ welfare and by militants heavily armed by Iran dug into a crowded urban setting using a vast network of tunnels.
