US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday (local time) that he did not expect a surge in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, as they have in the past.
Speaking to reporters as he departed for the Philippines, Lloyd Austin said that the safety of American troops is really important to him, adding that the US has taken some measures to protect itself.
Asked about attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria and whether they are connected to rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, Austin responded, “Do I see the attack, the recent attacks connected to, well, I think it’s all connected, but I think, quite frankly, I don’t see a return to where we were several months ago, not yet.”
“And certainly, we’ll keep our eye on this. The safety and protection of our troops is important to me. That’s why, you know, you saw us take some measures to protect ourselves here most recently as we took out some UAVs, which are about to be launched. We have the right to do that, and we will continue to do that to protect our troops,” he added.
When asked about the Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh’s death in Tehran, Austin said, “I don’t have anything for you on that. And we certainly have heard the reporting, but I don’t have any additional information for that.”
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Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack in Iran’s capital, Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday, Press TV reported.
Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Iranian President-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Meanwhile, the US military carried out a defensive airstrike south of Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday, ABC News reported, citing two officials.
Speaking to ABC News, one of the officials said, “US forces in Iraq conducted a defensive airstrike in the Musayib in Babil Province, targeting combatants attempting to launch one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems (OWAUAS).”
The official said, “Based on recent attacks in Iraq and Syria, U.S. Central Command assessed that the OWAUAS posed a threat to US and Coalition Forces.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi officials had reported blasts in an area south of Baghdad, which is a hub for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, the umbrella name for Iranian-backed militia groups operating under Iraq’s Defense Ministry.
In a statement provided to ABC News, the Popular Mobilization Authority said, “Forces affiliated with the 47th Brigade… were exposed to an explosion of unknown nature, which resulted in the martyrdom of several people and the injury of others.”
The airstrike carried out by the US on Tuesday was the first one in Iraq since February, when a drone strike killed a top leader of one of the Iranian-backed militia groups the US had said was responsible for nearly 170 rocket and drone attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria.
The attacks against US bases stopped after that airstrike, except for two attacks in April. However, new attacks have been reported during the past week, according to an ABC News report.
WITH INPUTS FROM ANI
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