The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated on Monday that it anticipates casualties in the American strikes conducted last Friday on targets it alleges are linked to Iran in Iraq and Syria. However, it added that it is still assessing the situation.
Pentagon spokesperson General Patrick Ryder told reporters that U.S. forces in Syria have been attacked since the strikes last Friday but without any injuries. He indicated that the U.S. military’s response to the attack on its forces in northeastern Syria has not yet been completed and that the U.S. was aware that Iran provides funding, equipment, and training to groups attacking its forces. He confirmed that they do not have any information regarding the killing of any Iranians in the strikes.
Regarding the strikes in Yemen, Ryder mentioned that they targeted 36 Houthi sites, including weapon depots and air defense systems, aiming to weaken the Houthis’ ability to attack ships and disrupt navigation in the Red Sea.
He warned, “If the Houthis continue their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, we will continue to strike their sites to weaken their capabilities.”
In related context, the U.S. Department of State stated on Monday that the United States did not pre-alert the Iraqi government about the strikes it recently conducted against factions it claims are loyal to Iran in Iraq. This clarification contradicted statements from the White House.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters, “With regard to the Friday response, we immediately informed the Iraqi government after the strikes occurred.” However, he pointed out that “the Iraqi government, like all countries in the region, understood well that there would be a response after the killing of American soldiers.”
The United States launched strikes on Friday in Syria and Iraq against elite Iranian forces and armed factions it confirmed are loyal to Iran in response to an attack on January 28 that resulted in the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan, near the Syrian-Iraqi borders.
Iraq and Syria condemned these strikes, with Baghdad considering them a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, and delivered a “protest note” to the acting U.S. charge d’affaires in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby had stated in a briefing Friday evening that Washington had informed the Iraqi authorities “before” the strikes, sparking resentment in Baghdad.
On Monday, Kirby said, “I responded based on the information available to me at the time.” While Kirby acknowledged that his statement was not as precise as intended, he expressed regret “for any confusion that may have arisen from it.”
Kirby continued, “We did not withhold from Iraqi officials and others that we would respond to attacks targeting our forces. Indeed, we officially informed Iraq of this, in accordance with the appropriate procedure.”
It seems that Washington was keen to issue this clarification and affirm that it did not pre-alert Baghdad about any military operations, given the current sensitivity characterizing the relationship between the United States and Iraq.
The United States deploys about 2,500 American troops in Iraq as part of a coalition established in 2014 to combat the Islamic State organization.
Amid regional tensions exacerbated by the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi began talks with Washington on the fate of the alliance in order to determine a gradual withdrawal timeline.
U.S. and international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to over 165 attacks since mid-October last year.
These attacks, many of which have been claimed by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a coalition of armed factions supported by Iran opposing U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza war and the presence of U.S. forces in the region, have intensified since October 7th.
