The attacks have been claimed by groups either directly controlled by Tehran or sharing the ideology of other groups currently fighting Israel. Yesterday a US base at Kharab al-Jir in Syria was attacked for the second time in two days, and a base in western Iraq was also hit.
More than a dozen small-scale strikes on US bases in the region have wounded 24 US soldiers and caused the death of one civilian contractor. Washington is rushing anti-missile batteries to the region to protect its principal bases and allies.
Charles Lister, the director of the Syria and countering terrorism and extremism programmes at the Middle East Institute thinktank in Washington, said: "The US has now had two dozen soldiers injured. In any other conditions it would have responded, but its hands are tied because it does not want to be blamed for escalating [the conflict]. The US government is very concerned that we are walking into a regional crisis.
"The attacks show that Iran has an extensive network of well-armed, aggressive and well-coordinated proxies across the region which it has established for exactly this scenario. They are testing red lines but not pushing too hard. They are putting the onus on the US to respond."
This story is from the October 27, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the October 27, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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