Iran considers attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria as a ‘response’

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, announced on Monday that the recent attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria were a "response" to the United States' assistance to Israel in its war against the Palestinian movement, Hamas. 

Kanaani stated during a press conference in Tehran, "You reap what you sow. Fomenting tension in the region will lead to reactions.” 

He added that these attacks are "part of the reactions of the peoples and groups opposing the American presence in the region, who strongly protest America's full and unconditional support for the Zionist entity's crimes." 

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that US forces and their allies have faced at least 16 attacks in Syria and Iraq since the beginning of the current month. 

Washington has deemed Tehran as indirectly involved in these attacks and has threatened a "decisive" response. 

Washington deploys around 900 soldiers in Syria and approximately 2,500 others in Iraq to combat the Islamic State organization, often carrying out operations targeting extremists. 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson called on the United States to "cease" its support for Israel. 

Responding to a question about US President Joe Biden's call to Iran not to get involved in the war between Israel and Hamas, Kanaani stated, "Our answer is summed up in one word: Stop!" 

Meanwhile, the Iran's Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, confirmed on Monday that "Palestinian fighters" affiliated with Hamas are "fully prepared to respond on the ground to the Zionist military incursion in Gaza." 

Bagheri believed that "one of the reasons for the resilience, resistance, and victories of Palestinian fighters is their focus on civil defense." 

He continued, "Reports indicate that the Palestinian resistance has built more than 400 kilometers of tunnels in Gaza, sometimes used by motorcycles and cars." 

He noted that "some of these tunnels extend beyond Israel's security barriers." 

In Tehran, around 200 people gathered on Monday morning inside and outside the city's main synagogue after a call was made by Jewish officials in the country to stop the firing and "condemn the massacre that children, women, and innocent people are facing." 

AFP