The U.S. Defense Department said that Iranian proxy groups launched attacks on American bases in Iraq and Syria at least 13 times between October 17-24.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder informed reporters that the U.S. and its coalition forces had been targeted in Iraq on 10 separate occasions and in Syria on three separate occasions. These attacks involved a combination of one-way attack drones and rockets.
U.S. Central Command, responsible for military operations in the Middle East, reported that on October 18, drone attacks at al-Tanf and al-Asad resulted in minor injuries to 20 military personnel. However, all wounded personnel have since returned to duty, and the military bases did not suffer further damage.
While the Defense Department did not disclose the specific groups behind the attacks, they confirmed that these groups receive support from Iran.
“We know that the groups conducting these attacks are supported by [Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and the Iranian regime. 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,” Ryder said. “We know these groups are Iranian proxy groups.”
U.S. officials revealed that additional air power, including F-16s from the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron–commonly known as the “Jersey Devils,”–has been deployed to the region.