On Friday, the U.S. launched airstrikes on two targets in Syria. Following the air strikes, Congressmen Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) and Adam Smith (D-Washington), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released a joint statement affirming their support for sending a message to Iran and avenging the U.S. service members attacked by Iranian backed terrorists in Syria.
“Last night, we were informed that the U.S. military conducted strikes against facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their proxies in Syria,” Rogers and Smith said. “These strikes come after recent attacks that injured 21 U.S. servicemembers and resulted in the death of one U.S. contractor. We stand united in sending a message to Iran and their terrorist proxies that attacks on Americans will not be tolerated as we continue to work with our partners in the region to avoid escalation of the current conflict.”
The two facilities were in eastern Syria and are reportedly used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and its proxy militias. The Pentagon says that the strikes were in response to attacks against U.S. troops in the region, the Pentagon announced late Thursday.
President Joe Biden ordered U.S. military forces to carry out “self-defense airstrikes” on a weapons storage facility and an ammunition storage area reportedly used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups in eastern Syria.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement, “Today, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. These precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17. As a result of these attacks, one U.S. citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place; 21 U.S. personnel suffered from minor injuries, but all have since returned to duty. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.”
“The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces,” Sec. Austin continued. “We will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people. These narrowly tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria. They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict. We continue to urge all state and non-state entities not to take action that would escalate into a broader regional conflict.”
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has not lessened tensions with Iran. Over the weekend, Iran ominously threatened massive attacks if “red lines” are crossed.
Mike Rogers is in his 11th term representing Alabama’s Third Congressional District.
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