IN less than three weeks, the United States military launched its third airstrikes against targets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
An American aircraft attacked a weapons storage facility and a command-and-control center used by militants supported by Iran in the Arab Republic.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the latest round of airstrikes was in response to attacks on American forces in the Middle East.
Austin said that groups linked to Iran have conducted series of attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria, with more than 50 recorded since October 17, and dozens of US personnel reportedly wounded.
Washington has blamed groups backed by Iran for the surge of attacks against US troops in the region and said it will hold Tehran ultimately responsible.
American officials also linked the attacks to the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas, which started when the Palestinian militant group carried out a surprise cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7.
Iran for its part denied any involvement and insisted that the resistance groups are acting independently.
Gulf Nations reject Iran’s call to arm Palestinians
Meanwhile, leaders from Gulf nations rejected Iran’s proposal to arm Palestinians and to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel during the emergency Arab and Islamic summits held in the Saudi Capital of Riyadh this past weekend.
Tehran, however, warned that its influence will remain through its allied resistance groups operating in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Thousands of Palestinians have fled northern Gaza in recent days as Israel intensified its ground offensive in pursuit of Hamas militants.
Officials in the war-torn enclave said that the death toll has surpassed 11,000 as fighting entered its 38th day.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have warned that US assets will continue to be targeted as long as Washington supports Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas.
