US attacks targets in Syria, Iran considers deploying troops

The Pentagon announced that US forces destroyed several truck-mounted rocket launchers, a tank and mortars in eastern Syria on December 3.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters that the weapons "pose a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces" fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), according to AFP.

US soldiers launch a Javelin anti-tank missile during a live-fire exercise in Syria on March 25, 2022.

“We are still assessing who is operating these weapons, but know that there are Iranian-backed militias in the region that have conducted attacks” in the past, Mr. Ryder stressed.

The US military currently has about 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of a coalition formed in 2014 to fight IS.

Since the conflict erupted in the Gaza Strip after Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran-backed groups have repeatedly targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel. The US has repeatedly responded to such attacks.

The new US strike comes as Syria has seen renewed violence over the past week after four years of relative calm, with opposition forces seizing several towns and territories from the government in northern Syria.

Opposition forces and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said they had advanced to the Syrian city of Hama on December 3, after they captured the city of Aleppo last week, Reuters reported.

Opposition forces say they have captured several villages a few kilometres north of Hama, while Syrian state media say reinforcements are arriving in the area.

Mr. Ryder affirmed that the US military strike on December 3 was “unrelated to any broader operations in northwestern Syria carried out by other groups.”

There is currently no information about the reaction from Syria or Iran to the attack and the above statement from the US.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Qatar's Arabic-language media outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on December 3 that Tehran would consider deploying troops to Syria if Damascus requested it.

Mr. Araqchi also mentioned plans to visit Russia to discuss the Syrian crisis, but did not provide a specific timeline for the visit, according to Reuters.

Earlier, the Kremlin announced on December 2 that Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Syria with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian by phone, according to Reuters. The Kremlin stressed that the two leaders pledged "unconditional support for the actions of the legitimate Syrian authorities to restore constitutional order and restore political , economic and social stability in the Syrian state."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-tan-cong-muc-tieu-o-syria-iran-can-nhac-trien-khai-quan-185241204065326842.htm