New York Times: Attack on US Base Was Iran’s Response to Israeli Strike on Syria

Iran has not confirmed the drone attack on a US military base in Syria, but American and Israeli officials said the attack was carried out in retaliation for Israeli strikes. Some 200 American soldiers are stationed at the Tanf base in southern Syria.

The New York Times reported on Thursday, November 27 (November 18), citing eight American and Israeli officials who requested anonymity, that last month’s attack on a US military base in southern Syria was Iran’s retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

According to the American newspaper, the unmanned aerial vehicle attack on the US base resulted in no casualties, and it was the first time Iran has carried out such a drone attack.

The New York Times report stated that Israeli strikes on forces backed by the Islamic Republic in Syria have created new dangers for American forces.

The US military base in Tanf in southern Syria was targeted in an attack on Wednesday, October 20. American officials at the time said the drone attack on the US military base was carried out “with Iran’s assistance.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) described the attack as “deliberate and coordinated.” A senior US Army official had said the drones were loaded with ball bearings and shrapnel and were clearly sent with the intent to kill American soldiers.

Some 200 American soldiers are stationed at the Tanf base, and their primary role is to train Syrian militiamen to fight ISIS. According to the New York Times, American soldiers evacuated the Tanf base a few hours before the attack after receiving intelligence from Israel.

According to the New York Times, American officials were reluctant to reveal more details about the attack, and the Pentagon spokesman refrained from publicly accusing Iran in order to avoid disrupting nuclear talks with Tehran. These talks are scheduled to take place at the end of November.

However, some Israeli and American officials said they have information indicating that “Iran was behind this operation.”

According to the New York Times, since three of the drones did not explode, American officials were able to examine them and determine that they used the same technology as drones used by Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The Islamic Republic has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but a Telegram channel run by affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps announced that the attack was “a response to America’s permission for Israel to strike resistance forces” in eastern Syria, and militia commanders concluded that “they should pull the serpent’s teeth.”

Senior American and Israeli officials said they have information indicating that this drone attack was retaliation for several recent Israeli strikes on Iranian forces in Syria.

On October 8 of this year, Israel struck an air base in central Syria that, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, served as an Iranian military headquarters.

According to the New York Times, a senior American official also said that Iranians were reluctant to attack Israel for fear of retaliation, so they did the next best thing—attacking Americans. He emphasized that Iran wanted to avoid direct confrontation with Americans, but accepted the great risk of attacking Tanf, which could have killed American soldiers and forced an American military response.

Two other senior American officials also said that the Islamic Republic may believe the unmanned drone attack was seen as a militia initiative rather than Iran’s.

American officials confirmed that Javad Ghaffari, a senior commander of Iranian militias based in Syria, supports the use of military action to drive American forces out of Iraq and Syria. However, these officials said it is unclear how much Iran’s leaders support this approach.

Source: DW