CBS News has confirmed that the approval has been granted for a series of strikes over several days against various targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities, inside Iraq and Syria. The strikes are in response to drone and rocket attacks that targeted U.S. forces in the region, such as the deadly drone attack on the Tower 22 base inside Jordan, near the Syrian border that claimed the lives of three U.S. service members on Sunday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated at the Pentagon on Thursday that the U.S. will not tolerate attacks on American troops. “This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East,” Austin said, highlighting the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as the attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. “We will continue to work to avoid a wider conflict in the region, but we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our interests and our people, and we will respond when we choose, where we choose and how we choose.” U.S. officials informed CBS News that weather will play a significant role in determining the timing of the strikes, as the U.S. prefers better visibility to avoid inadvertently hitting civilians.
A satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC depicting the military base known as Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan on Oct. 12, 2023. U.S. officials have cited this as the location of a drone strike on Jan. 28, 2024, resulting in the deaths of 3 American troops and injuring dozens more.
Planet Labs PBC / AP
Since the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah declared its suspension of military operations against American forces on Wednesday, there have been no new attacks on U.S. troop locations in the region. The group’s suspension has not caused any delays in the American military’s planned retaliatory strikes as suggested by U.S. officials.
During Thursday’s news conference, Austin responded to the group’s statement by stating, “We always listen to what people are saying, but we watch what they do, and … actions are everything, so we’ll see what happens in the future.” Amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas, several Iran-backed groups in the Middle East have intensified attacks on U.S. and Israeli-linked entities. Austin affirmed that the U.S. is working to “hold the right people accountable” without escalating the conflict in the region. “We will have a multitiered response, and … we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,” he said.
Israel has been engaged in a devastating offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, which the Hamas-run enclave officials claim has resulted in the deaths of more than 26,000 people, majority of whom are women and children. Israel asserts that it takes all possible measures to avoid harming civilians, but has vowed to continue its offensive until Hamas is dismantled. Iran’s support for Hamas and other groups in the region, including the Houthi rebels in Yemen who have attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has engaged in regular cross-border fire with Israeli forces, states that they are targeting Western interests in support of the Palestinian people. U.S. officials informed CBS News that another drone was shot down overnight over the Gulf of Aden, while an explosive sea drone was destroyed in the Red Sea.
Israel & Hamas At War
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