The United States has launched airstrikes on two facilities in Syria that were used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed groups, according to the Pentagon. These strikes were in response to a series of attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria. The Biden administration had previously pledged to retaliate against attacks on US personnel that were blamed on armed groups supported by Iran.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the US does not seek conflict but finds these Iranian-backed attacks on their forces unacceptable and in need of cessation. He emphasized that Iran must not be allowed to hide its involvement and deny its role in these attacks. Austin warned that if the attacks by Iran's proxies continue, the US will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect their people.

The Pentagon clarified that these strikes were defensive in nature and were not connected to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. They stated that the strikes were separate and distinct from the situation between Israel and Hamas and did not signify a shift in the US's approach to that conflict.

The US Department of Defense reported that US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria had been targeted at least 16 times this month by Iranian-backed militia groups. The frequency of attacks on US forces in the region has spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. Israeli officials claim that more than 1,400 people have been killed in the conflict, while Palestinian authorities state that over 7,000 people have died in Israeli air strikes on Gaza in response to the initial attacks by Hamas.

President Joe Biden revealed that he personally warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against targeting US troops in the Middle East. He made it clear that the US would respond to such actions and urged Khamenei to be prepared. However, Mohammad Jamshidi, an aide to Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, disputed Biden's account, stating that the US messages were not directed to Khamenei and were merely requests from the Iranian side.

US officials are concerned about the potential escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict into a larger regional conflict. Iran supports both Hamas and Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group that has clashed with Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border. Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, warned that the US would not be spared from the conflict if Israel's bombardment of Gaza continued. He expressed that while they do not welcome the expansion of the war in the region, if the genocide in Gaza persists, the US will not be exempt from the consequences.

In a separate statement, the US accused Iran of actively facilitating rocket and drone attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria. The White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, declared that the US will not allow these threats to go unchallenged. As tensions rise in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war, the US has shown support for Israel, stating that it has a right to self-defense. Kirby claimed that Iran is supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and actively facilitating these attacks while trying to maintain deniability. The US has sent military advisors to Israel with experience in the types of operations that Israel is conducting. Iran has not yet responded to these allegations.

It is important to note that Iran politically supports Hamas, Hezbollah, and Shia groups in Iraq, but denies providing military assistance to these groups. Iranian leaders have warned that a ground Israeli offensive on Gaza would provoke a response from other fronts. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that if the Israeli regime's crimes continue, Muslims and resistance forces will become impatient, and nothing can stop them. He called for an immediate end to the bombardment of Gaza.