US strikes Syria base in Middle East escalation
US fighter jets launched airstrikes this morning on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
It is a significant moment. These strikes are the first direct US military intervention since Hamas’s October 7 attacks. America is showing it can and will retaliate. Over the past ten days, Iran-backed militias have launched a slew of drone and missile attacks against US bases in Syria and Iraq, injuring 24 US servicemen and killing one civilian contractor.
According to the Pentagon, its strike today hit a weapons storage facility and an ammunition storage facility used by the IRGC and militia it backs but it does not yet have any information on casualties.
Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, insists these “self-defence strikes”, which were not coordinated with Israel, the US claimed, were intended “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests”.
While the retaliation raises the risk of inflaming the increasingly dangerous situation, it was intended, according to Austin, to have the opposite effect – and simply deter any future attacks on its own bases. Hence his plea: “We continue to urge all state and non-state entities not to take action that would escalate into a broader regional conflict.”
The US has also bolstered its naval presence in the region, again with the stated aim of “sending a message of deterrence” to potential adversaries.
But will regional players be receptive to such a message?
As Israel presses on with its intense bombardment of the Gaza strip, the risk of a wider war in the Middle East is there if diplomacy fails. The IDF is continuing to trade fire with Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanon-based, largest proxy militia, along its northern border while rocket attacks have also come from Syria, where Iranian-backed militia groups have been operating for years.
Whether or not these current skirmishes pave the way for a full-blown war ultimately all depends on whether or not Iran – weighing its options – gives the order.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, has already warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza would force Tehran to intervene. And, if Israel’s offensive against Hamas did not stop, he added, Washington “would not be spared from this fire.”
This morning provided the first sign since October 7 that, when pushed, Washington is prepared to engage its forces directly. The US doesn’t want to get dragged into another war in the Middle East, but it is getting ready in case.
According to Jonathan Spyer, the director of research at the Middle East Forum, the US and Israel have a general agreement that, while Washington will supply weapons, Israeli people must defend themselves against regional adversaries without direct American intervention.
It’s an agreement which, up until now, has suited both countries, says Syper: “Israel has always been very adamant that it can handle its own affairs.”
If the war escalates as much as some fear it may, the strength of such an agreement could be tested like never before. The US may find itself having to act to assist Israel in the event of an all out war on several fronts.