The US base at Tanf in eastern Syria on the Iraq border (File)
UPDATE 1209 GMT:
Iran-backed militias launched rocket and drone attacks on two US bases on Friday morning.
US officials said one service member was wounded just after 8 a.m. One rocket struck a civilian house almost 5 km (3 miles) from the nearest base, causing minor injuries to two women and two children.
The attacks followed US retaliatory airstrikes over the militias’ killing of an American contractors and wounding of five US troops and other contractors.
Unconfirmed claims said 11 Iranian-backed fighters – six at an arms depot in in Deir ez-Zor city and five at military posts near the towns of al-Mayadeen and al-Boukamal — were killed.
US President Joe Biden, at a news conference in Canada, said yesterday:
Make no mistake, the United States does not, does not, I emphasize, seek conflict with Iran. But be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people. That’s exactly what happened last [Thursday] night.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: US warplanes have struck an Iran-backed militia in northeast Syria, after an Iranian-made drone killed a contractor and wounded five troops and another contractor in an attack on an American base.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Central Command forces retaliated with “precision airstrikes” against facilities used by the groups supported by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Austin said the retaliation was ordered by President Joe Biden, who “has made clear [that] we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing”.
Videos on social media claimed to show explosions in Deir ez-Zor Province near the Iraq border, where Iran-backed militias have operated for more than a decade during the Syrian uprising.
Unconfirmed claims said eight fighters were killed by the airstrikes, on a weapons depot in Deir ez-Zor city and on positions near al-Mayadin and al-Boukamal.
Iran State media insisted, from supposed “local sources”, that the US targeted a “rural development center and a grain center” near the Deir ez-Zor military airport. They declared that “no Iranian was killed”.
The Iran-backed militias have fired almost 80 times on US troops since the beginning of 2021, according to Central Command head Gen. Erik Kurilla. The Biden Administration has carried out three previous sets of American airstrikes.
Israel has also carried out strikes in the area against Iranian-supported positions and supply routes. Russia — breaking a deconfliction agreement with the US — has stepped up overflights.
World Court rules with Iran against the United States: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hague-rules-us-violated-international-law-iran-sanctions
“The International Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that the US “violated” international law by freezing some Iranian assets, ordering Washington to pay compensation for an amount to be determined in the future. The Hague, however, rejected Iran’s bid to unblock nearly $2bn in assets belonging to its central bank which were frozen by the United States over alleged terror attacks.”
Only the U.S government, and a handful of western countries, refuse to accept President Assad as the head of state.The U.N, NAM and rest of the world recognize only one authority in Damascus and all recognize the territorial integrity of Syria. Even in the US congress, a quarter of the House wants US troops withdrawn: https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2023/03/08/house-votes-down-gaetz-bill-to-withdraw-troops-from-syria/
Dollar is loosing value again, today it’s trading at about 50850 real
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/32334069.html
That is to read rial is loosing value?.
Iranian Protesters Flood Zahedan Streets; Sunni Cleric Urges Leadership To Listen To The People
https://iranwire.com/en/news/115012-iranian-protesters-flood-zahedan-streets-sunni-cleric-urges-leadership-to-listen-to-the-people/
[Editor’s Note: The argument that the US presence in Syria is “illegal” ignores both the reason why US troops entered — the fight to remove the Islamic State — and the breakdown of any State authority in northern Syria.
The claim that the US is “pillaging Syrian oil assets” is Assad regime/Russian disinformation with absolutely no supporting evidence.]
It is important to realize that the US presence in Syria is *** ILLEGAL **** whereas the presence of Iran-linked groups is at the invitation of the Syrian government. The U.S is probably violating international law by pillaging Syrian oil assets used to pay for its occupation of the east of the country.
[Editor’s Note: The opinion piece from the Cato Institute is ill-informed. As with the case in Iraq, a UN Security Council resolution is not needed for an intervention against the Islamic State where State authority has broken down.
With the Kurdish authority effectively overseeing most of northeast Syria, there is no legal basis for any Assad regime or Iranian attack on US forces.]
The US presence has not been authorized by the UN Security Council and so is totally illegal: https://www.cato.org/commentary/end-americas-illegal-occupation-syria-now
The Syrian government, unlike the Iraqi government, has not given the U.S permission to be in their country. The threat from ISIS is long gone.
Syrian and Iran-led forces have every right to force out the Americans from the country by all means possible.