United States responds to pro-Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq but avoids direct confrontation with Tehran

Joe Biden had an intense day on Friday, February 2. Among grieving families, he saw the bodies of three soldiers, who had been killed in a drone attack in Jordan five days earlier, at the Dover base (Delaware). Then, around 4 p.m., the president gave the green light for the first phase of American retaliation. According to the White House, it was the weather that determined this calendar coincidence. This military response was taken earlier in the week.

According to the US Central Command, about 125 precision weapons were used against 85 different targets in seven locations – four in Syria, three in Iraq – by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Iran’s main armed force) and pro-Iranian militias. These would be command and intelligence centers, missile and drone warehouses and munitions factories. B-1 bombers flying direct from the United States took part in the operation alongside unidentified fighter planes.

This is a measured response, weighed with a trebuchet, organized in several stages spread over time. Washington sought in advance to limit regional influence, while ensuring that the message of deterrence was conveyed throughout and that the operational capabilities of targeted pro-Iranian groups were reduced. In this careful balance, the perception of American countermeasures is at least as important as their operational quality. However, there is uncertainty about the consequences of this controlled escalation and the US ability to reinstate the ban. “The United States does not want conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world, Joe Biden said in a statement Friday. But let those who seek to harm us know this well: If you touch an American, we will answer. »

Targets “selected to avoid civilian casualties”

A strike represents “Violation of Iraqi Sovereignty”Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Chia al-Saudani’s military spokesman said in a statement that he feared “Devastating Consequences for the Security and Stability of Iraq and the Region”. For its part, the White House insisted that the Iraqi government had been warned shortly before the strike. On the other hand, there have been no direct or indirect talks with Tehran in recent days. The United States still has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 800 in Syria, but the country is clearly committed to a withdrawal logic, after Afghanistan in the summer of 2021.

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