US President Joe Biden has confirmed that Washington does not seek a conflict with Iran, but is ready to work forcefully to protect its people.
For his part, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that the US strikes in Syria aim to protect American soldiers there, where ISIS and Iranian-backed militias still pose a threat.
Kirby added that Iran should not participate in supporting attacks on American facilities, according to “CNN”.
The pace of mutual attacks by Iranian militias and US forces in the regions of north and east Syria has escalated over the past two days, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides.
US officials told CBS News that the US bases in Syria were subjected to three successive attacks, the most recent of which yesterday resulted in the injury of an American soldier at the Al-Omar field base, east of Deir Ezzor.
This brought the number of American soldiers injured as a result of attacks on American forces in Syria to six, in addition to the death of an American contractor and the wounding of another, while 19 Iranian militia members were killed as a result of the American strikes, according to Reuters.