Attack on US troops in Syria left no injuries - Reuters
US troops in Syria were attacked by a drone, a US official told Reuters on Friday.
Initial reports do not indicate any injuries, but investigations are ongoing, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to Reuters.
This marks the second assault on US forces in the Middle East in recent days, as the region anticipates a potential new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies.
The incident occurred at the Rumalyn Landing Zone, where US troops are stationed alongside those from the US-led coalition.
Iran’s UN representative has said the country’s potential retaliatory attack against Israel would be “timed and conducted” in a way not to endanger a potential ceasefire in Gaza, seemingly indicating that the response could be less severe than first claimed.
"The Israeli regime has violated our national security and sovereignty through its recent act of terrorism. We have the legitimate right to self-defense,” Iran’s New York based mission stated Friday. “However, we hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire.”
The statement also confirmed that “direct and intermediary official channels” have always been open between Iran and the United States.
The US is sending clear messages to Iran that it will have to reckon with not just Israeli but American resources if it were to go ahead with its promised large-scale retaliatory strike against Israel.
Iran has been threatening Israel for more than a week that it will ‘avenge’ the blood of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on 31 July.
The Biden administration has been trying to dissuade Iran behind the scenes. On Friday, however, the talk was accompanied by a stern walk when reports emerged that the US is set to provide Israel with $3.5 billion to spend on US weapons and military equipment, hours after White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the US was ready to defend Israel with “plenty of resources” in the region.
"When we hear rhetoric like that, we've got to take it seriously, and we do," he said in reaction to remarks by the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), who had said Iran saw as its “duty” to punish Israel severely.
Iran’s previous retaliatory attack against Israel in April was nullified by the combined efforts of a US-led coalition that helped intercept missiles and drones launched from Iranian territory. This time, it seems the Biden administration has taken the threat more seriously and has not only warned Iran of “serious consequences” but also released the funds that the Congress had appropriated since April
According to a CNN report Friday, the State Department has notified lawmakers that the administration wants to release the money so that Israel can purchase “advanced weapons systems”, as Israel braces for an attack by Iran and (likely) Hezbollah.
The “systems” would not be delivered to Israel immediately and some may even take “several” years to be ready, according to sources who spoke with CNN. The timing of the announcement, however, seems to be intended as yet another message by the US to both Iran and Israel, clarifying the Biden administration’s stance if its diplomatic efforts to prevent an all-out war were to fail.
The message has been taken by the more moderate parts of the state, the newly elected president Masoud Pezeshkian, in particular, who, as Iran International reported a few days ago, tried to implore the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to hold back the attack against Israel for fears that it would adversely impact his term –even before he’s gotten to form his cabinet.
Khamenei has shown no sign that he agreed to Pezehkian’s plea. Many more signs exist to the contrary, in fact, as IRGC commanders keep promising to attack Israel.
“The Supreme Leader’s directives regarding severe punishment of Israel and avenging the blood of Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit,” IRGC lieutenant commander Ali Fadavi said Friday. “These directives will be carried out in the best possible way, and this is Iran's current duty.”
This message was reiterated Friday by IRGC’s Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani, who said that the attack on Israel this time will be harsher than the one in April. “We are preparing to avenge [Haniyeh’s] blood, a painful and difficult incident that happened in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is our duty," Qaani wrote in a letter to Haniyeh’s successor, Yahya Sinwar.
Qaani also emphasized the role of Tehran-backed regional militias within the "Resistance Front" in the retaliation, stating, "The heroic jihad of your brothers in the Islamic Resistance will amplify the impact of the punishment more than ever before and will lead to the swift eradication of this malevolent phenomenon."
A drone attack has targeted Kharab al-Jir base, a US military installation in the suburbs of Al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, adding that the drone fell inside the military base.
A rocket attack on an Iraqi base earlier injured seven Americans.
Israelis are receiving text messages telling them they will be buried by next week, Israeli news website Ynet reported, amid fears of an Iran-led attack on Israel.
The messages include the recipients' personal details such as full names and cities of residence.
The police have announced they are actively working to trace the source of the messages, which they say are deliberately designed to “induce panic during war.”
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News, citing an informed source, reacted to Iran International's report about President Masoud Pezeshkian's efforts to dissuade Ali Khamenei from attacking Israel, saying there's a "consensus" among Iran's authorities on avenging Haniyeh's death.
"There is not only no disagreement at the strategic level of the Islamic Republic, but there is also a rare level of determination, unity, and consensus among the country's officials," the source told Tasnim.
"The way Iran will respond will be decided at the highest level, specifically at the Supreme National Security Council, which is chaired by the President," the source added.
On Wednesday, Iran International exclusively reported that Pezeshkian had urgently appealed with Khamenei to abstain from launching an attack on Israel, warning of the catastrophic consequences such an action could have on his presidency.
Pezeshkian cautioned that an Israeli decision to retaliate forcefully against Iran's national infrastructure and energy resources could devastate the Iranian economy, potentially precipitating the country's collapse.
