U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have come under attack from rockets and explosive-laden one-way drones 55 separate times in the past month, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
There have been 27 attacks directed at U.S. troops in Iraq and 28 directed at U.S. troops in Syria since Oct. 17, she confirmed at a Nov. 14 press conference.
The attacks have resulted in 59 injuries, including at least 27 U.S. service members who have suffered traumatic brain injuries and 32 others who have been evaluated for “other non-serious injuries,” according to Ms. Singh. There have been no U.S. fatalities.
“As of today, all 59 have returned to duty,” she announced.
Ms. Singh and other U.S. defense officials have attributed the rocket and drone attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria to various Iran-aligned factions that are active in the region. U.S. forces have, in response, conducted three separate air strikes targeting facilities in eastern Syria that the Pentagon suspects have been used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in support of these attacks.
Deterrence and Wider Regional Conflict
The recent pattern of attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria has come about after Hamas gunmen stormed into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed at least 1,200 people on Oct. 7. While the Israeli military has carried out a retaliatory military campaign throughout the Gaza Strip in the weeks since the Oct. 7 attacks, the United States has deployed additional military resources to deter additional attacks on Israel and a broader conflict throughout the Middle East.
During the press briefing, Ms. Singh insisted that the attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are a “separate issue” from the Israel–Hamas conflict and said the Pentagon believes that conflict remains contained. As far as the strikes against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria implicating Iran, Ms. Singh said Iran has long opposed the U.S. presence in those countries and noted that U.S. forces have come under attack from Iran-linked groups prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
“We saw this back in March. We’ve seen this before, where they attack our forces,” Ms. Singh said of the recent attacks by these groups.
Response to US Drone Downed by Houthis
Ms. Singh was asked about the efficacy of U.S. military deterrence in the Middle East after Yemen-based Houthis last week shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen and whether the lack of U.S. response against the Houthis rebels is inviting more aggression from them.She again suggested that a U.S. response to the Houthis could be forthcoming but declined to say so with certainty or provide specifics.
“I’m not saying that we’re not going to respond,” Ms. Singh said. “We always reserve the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing, but I just don’t have anything to forecast for you right now.”
The Houthis, also known as Ansrallah, are a Zaydi Shiite movement that has intermittently fought with Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2004. The conflict expanded after the Houthis took over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in September 2014, bringing on a civil war that has seen Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states intervene on behalf of the Yemeni government.
