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US Forces in Iraq, Syria Attacked 4 times in a Day

The attacks targeted locations in northeastern Syria and the Ain Al-Asad air base in Iraq, as well as a base near Irbil airport….reports Asian Lite News

The U.S. forces experienced four attacks in Iraq and Syria involving rockets and armed drones on Thursday. However, no casualties or infrastructure damage occurred.

The attacks targeted locations in northeastern Syria and the Ain Al-Asad air base in Iraq, as well as a base near Irbil airport.

The group claiming responsibility is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, believed to represent several Iran-aligned, Iraqi-armed groups.

These incidents followed the U.S. strike on Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah (KH) south of Baghdad, prompting condemnation from the Iraqi government.

The U.S. justified its actions, citing escalating attacks by Iran-aligned groups on U.S. and international forces. As of Thursday, there have been 36 attacks in Iraq and 37 in Syria since October 17.

Meanwhile, eight members of the Iraqi paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces were killed and four others were wounded by US airstrikes near the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

A statement by the Hashd Shaabi said on Wednesday that at 2:30 a.m. (2330 GMT on Tuesday), the US aircraft attacked positions of the Hashd Shaabi forces in the Jurf al-Nasr area, south of Baghdad, leaving eight of its fighters killed and wounding four others.

“We affirm our strong condemnation of this hostile act, which represents a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command said in a statement that the US aircraft conducted precision strikes in Iraq in direct response to the attacks against US and coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, Xinhua news agency reported.

A statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said the US airstrikes constitute a clear violation of the coalition’s mission which is to fight the Islamic State militants on Iraqi soil.

ALSO READ: 46 Attacks on US, Coalition Forces in Iraq & Syria Since Oct 17

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Syria’s Assad Faces Arrest in France

This is the first time that a nation has issued an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity for a sitting head of state in another country….reports Asian Lite News

The French government has issued an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians in the war-torn nation, a media report said citing a judicial source.

This is the first time that a nation has issued an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity for a sitting head of state in another country.

The source told CNN that two investigative judges on Tuesday issued four warrants against the President, his brother Maher al-Assad, and two other senior officials, for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Syrian human rights lawyer and a founder of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, Anwar al-Bunni told CNN on Wednesday that the decision was “unprecedented.”

An Interpol ‘Red Notice’ is expected to follow, Michael Chammas, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, told CNN.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest someone pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, according to Interpol.

“All Interpol member states should then comply with the arrest warrant,” Chammas added.

The legal case was brought forward by the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and the Syrian Archive in March 2021 “over the use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in the town of Douma and the district of Eastern Ghouta in August 2013, in attacks which killed more than 1,000 people”, the plaintiffs said in a statement Wednesday.

The Syrian government was accused of using poison gas in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, then a rebel stronghold that the regime had been desperately trying to take back for more than a year.

It in turn accused opposition forces of carrying out the attacks themselves.

Despite being accused of comitting war crimes, the Syrian government has long maintained that its strikes only target “terrorists”.

ALSO READ: 46 Attacks on US, Coalition Forces in Iraq & Syria Since Oct 17

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Israel Strikes Back After Eilat School Drone Attack

The military said in the statement that “the Syrian regime is completely responsible for all terrorist activity that takes place on its soil”…reports Asian Lite News

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday said that it conducted an airstrike in Syria in retaliation to a drone attack fired from the neighbouring country towards a school in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

In a statement, the military said that it identified the location in Syria from where the drone attack was carried out in Eliat on Thursday.

Without specifying, the IDF also said that it “attacked the organization that launched it (drone attack) in response”.

It also held the government in Damascus responsible for any attack from the Syrian soil.

The military said in the statement that “the Syrian regime is completely responsible for all terrorist activity that takes place on its soil”.

“The IDF will respond forcefully to any attempt to attack Israel,” it added.

Earlier on Friday, the IDF had posted on X that a “UAV hit a civilian building in the city of Eilat”.

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US Airstrike Targets Iranian-Backed Facility in Syria

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Austin also warned that the US “is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities”…reports Asian Lite News

The US military carried out an airstrike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and groups backed by Tehran, the Defense Department said in a statement.

In the statement issued on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “self-defense strike” was conducted earlier in the day on the direction of President Joe Biden.

“This strike was conducted by two US F-15s against a weapons storage facility. This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates,” Austin said.

“This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates. The President has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the US will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” he added.

Austin also warned that the US “is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities”.

“We urge against any escalation. US personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISI missions in Iraq and Syria.”

Wednesday’s strike is the second time the US has hit facilities used by Iran-backed groups in response to the nearly daily attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria, which have escalated especially since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.

On October 26, a US F-15 and two F-16s used precision-guided munitions to strike two facilities linked to Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria, reports CNN.

Since October 17, US and coalition forces have been targeted at least 41 times by one-way attack drones or rocket attacks.

More than 40 troops sustained minor injuries in attacks before the US’ strike on October 26, including at least 20 traumatic brain injuries.

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US Forces in Iraq and Syria Targeted in 8 Drone and Rocket Attacks

On the afternoon of November 3, a one-way attack drone was shot down near Shaddadi, Syria, with no casualties or infrastructure damage reported, a US official said in an update on Monday…reports Asian Lite News

American forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have come under attack by one-way attack drones and rocket barrages eight times since November 3, a media report said on Tuesday.

Although the attacks on the forces have increased amid the raging Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, US officials have not blamed them directly on the ongoing conflict, the CNN report said.

The eight incidents — one each on Novermber 3 and 4, five on November 5 and another on Monday — takes the total number of such attacks on American troops and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria to 38 since October 7, 10 days after the Hamas had launched its brutal assault against Israel.

According to the CNN report, the attacks have largely targeted the Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq, and al-Tanf Garrison, Syria, with some others near Mission Support Site Green Village in Syria; Bashur, Iraq; Mission Support Site Euphrates, Syria; Erbil Airbase, Iraq; Shaddadi, Syria; Rumalyn Landing Zone, Syria; and Tall Baydar, Syria.

On the afternoon of November 3, a one-way attack drone was shot down near Shaddadi, Syria, with no casualties or infrastructure damage reported, a US official said in an update on Monday.

The next morning, another one-way attack drone was shot down near Shaddadi.

The five incidents reported on November 5 were one-way attack drones shot down near Tall Baydar, Syria; al-Tanf Garrison, Syria; and three times near Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq.

One attack on Al-Asad also included a multi-rocket attack alongside multiple one-way attack drones.

Another one-way attack drone was shot down near Tall Baydar, Syria, on Monday morning.

None of the attacks over the weekend resulted in casualties or damage to infrastructure, CNN quoted the official as saying.

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US Military Base in Syria Targeted in Suspected Drone Attack

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No more details were provided, but the base and other US military bases in eastern Syria have been subject to drone attacks recently against the backdrop of the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip…reports Asian Lite News

An explosion rocked a US military base in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah on Thursday night, a pro-government radio station reported.

The blast was heard at a US military base located in the Shaddadi area, in what appeared to be a drone attack, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Sham FM radio.

No more details were provided, but the base and other US military bases in eastern Syria have been subject to drone attacks recently against the backdrop of the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has previously reported that Iranian-backed fighters intensified their drone attacks on US military bases given the US support for Israel in its military campaign in Gaza.

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US strikes two locations in Syria

The US Defence Secretary said Thursday’s actions show that President Biden has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel….reports Asian Lite News

The US military forces on Thursday conducted self-defence strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups.

The strikes which were conducted on US President Joe Biden’s direction, are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17, as per a statement by the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

As a result of these attacks, one US citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place; 21 US personnel suffered from minor injuries, but all have since returned to duty.

The US Defence Secretary said Thursday’s actions show that President Biden has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel. Austin said the US will not tolerate “such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.”

He said: “The US does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against US forces are unacceptable and must stop. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against US forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people.”

Austin said the “narrowly tailored strikes in self-defence were intended solely to protect and defend US personnel in Iraq and Syria. They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict. We continue to urge all state and non-state entities not to take action that would escalate into a broader regional conflict.”

Earlier, White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesman John Kirby had said the US would respond to the attacks at a “time of our choosing and a manner of our choosing”.

His comments came after the US Department of Defence said US and allied forces in Iraq and Syria had been attacked at least 16 times this month by “Iranian-backed militia groups”.

According to Al Jazeera, attacks on US forces in the region have spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. (ANI)

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Israeli Attack Targets Syria’s Damascus and Aleppo Airports

According to reports, damage has been caused to the airport, but there were no injuries

Syrian media outlets are reporting an alleged Israeli airstrike near the Damascus International Airport.

The pro-government Sham FM radio said Syrian air defence is confronting the attack, Times of Israel reported. Syrian media reported that Israel also struck the Aleppo International Airport.

Sham FM radio said damage has been caused to the airport, but there were no injuries, Times of Israel reported.

Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military’s strikes in the Gaza Strip are crippling Hamas’ ability to function.

“We are destroying Hamas’ ability to function as a sovereign entity; it is no longer managing to administer Gaza. Hamas is in anarchy and chaos and we need to increase this,” Hagari said while addressing a press conference, Times of Israel reported.

He said the military will strike everyone involved in the murderous attacks on southern Israel on Saturday.

“We are identifying the people who committed the atrocities… they will not have immunity. Whoever gives them shelter is taking on himself and his family a very big risk,” Hagari said.

Hagari also said that IDF has obtained intelligence from the Hamas terrorists whom Israel has arrested in order to carry out new strikes against its assets in the Gaza Strip, Times of Israel reported.

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100 Killed in Drone Attack on Syrian Military Academy

The cadets’ families, and women and children were among the dead…reports Asian Lite News

At least 100 people were killed in a drone attack that struck a military academy in Syria’s Homs province while a cadet graduation ceremony was underway, state media reported on Friday.

Citing a statement from the General Command of the Armed Forces, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said several drones carrying explosives targeted the academy just after the ceremony ended on Thursday afternoon, reports the BBC.

The armed forces “considers this act an unprecedented criminal one, and affirms that it will respond with full force and determination to these terrorist groups wherever they are”, the statement added.

In another report, SANA quoted Health Minister Hassan al-Gabbash as saying that the attack had injured more than 200 people, while the victims included and six women and six children.

The cadets’ families, and women and children were among the dead, it added.

So far, no individual or group has claimed the attack, the BBC reported.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the country’s Defence Minister had attended the ceremony but left minutes before the attack.

Describing the attack as “horrific”, UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has called on all parties to the decades-long conflict to “exercise the utmost restraint”.

“All sides must respect their obligations under international law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Today’s developments further highlight that the status quo in Syria is unsustainable and that, in the absence of a meaningful political path… I fear we will only see further deterioration, including in the security situation,” the BBC quoted the envoy as saying late Thursday.

More than half a million people have been killed by the civil war that erupted after President Bashar al-Assad cracked down violently on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011.

Some 6.8 million people are internally displaced, while another 6 million are refugees or asylum-seekers abroad.

ALSO READ: US Nabs ISIS Leader in Syria

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US Nabs ISIS Leader in Syria

No civilians were killed or injured during this operation…reports Asian Lite News

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces captured an official of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group during a helicopter raid in northern Syria on September 23.

In a statement on Monday, the CENTCOM said: “Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, an IS Syria Operational and Facilitation official, was captured during the raid. Al-Fad’ani was assessed to have relationships throughout the IS network in the region.”

“The capture of IS officials like al-Fad’ani increases our ability to locate, target, and remove terrorist from the battlefield,” CENTCOM spokesperson Lt. Col. Troy Garlock was quoted as saying in the statement.

“US CENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of IS,” he added.

No civilians were killed or injured during this operation, the statement noted.

Last month, CENTCOM forces and coalition partners conducted eight operations in Syria, in which seven IS operatives were detained and an eighth was killed, CNN reported

In Iraq, 18 operatives were detained and six were killed throughout operations in August in Iraq.

Another IS “attack facilitator”, Hudayfah al Yemeni, and two of his associates were captured in a helicopter raid in Syria in April.

Currently, the US has about 900 troops in Syria as part of the ongoing mission to defeat the terrorist group.

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