(RepublicanNews.org) – The United States appears to have finally made good on prior threats to hold Iranian proxies to account for attacks on American forces stationed throughout the Middle East. Many had been waiting and wondering if warnings from both the Pentagon and Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be followed through with.
Militias reportedly backed by Iran were said to have begun engaging American ground forces stationed in Syria and Iraq on October 17th. Several similar attacks were carried out in the days that followed, but the United States refrained from any form of kinetic response.
It was later learned that over 20 American troops had been injured in the combined engagements. On October 23rd, some five days after the first attack, the Department of Defense issued its first retaliatory warning. The following day, Antony Blinken did the same while speaking at the United Nations in New York.
Speculation as to an American counter-strike was finally laid to rest on October 27th when two American fighter jets separately struck a reported weapons cache and ammunition depot in Syria. It is not known if the strikes resulted in any on-ground casualties, but the Pentagon reported that both facilities were known to be used by elements from Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard.
President Joe Biden’s use-of-force approval followed almost 20 combined attacks on American and coalition forces in the region. A day before the President’s authorization, Iran’s foreign minister appeared to tell world leaders at the U.N. that the United States could itself become a target of the Persian regime should the Israeli onslaught against Hamas in Gaza not stop.
Hossein Amirabdollahian, the official in question, said the United States would “not be spared.” Since his threat, Israel has begun what it is referring to as the “next phase” of its operation in the Palestinian territories. Ground combat is reportedly taking place on the outskirts of Gaza City.
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