On Saturday, February 3, the United States launched airstrikes on Iraq and Syria, reportedly killing nearly 40 people. The strikes were launched against over 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and IRGC-backed militias in retaliation for a drone attack in Jordan, which killed three American soldiers. The United States blamed the attack on the Islamic Resistance, a group of militias operating in Iraq. The strikes reflect growing tensions in the Middle East, which have intensified in recent months amidst Israel’s war on Gaza.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the strikes were “the start of our response.” In response to the February 3 strikes, Iraq summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Baghdad in order to formally protest. Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a state security force including Iran-backed groups, said that 16 members, including fighters and medics, had been killed. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that 23 people guarding the targeted locations had been killed. Government officials in Syria and Iraq have condemned the strikes, which came a week after Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and senior Iraqi military leaders began talks with the U.S. military officials to create a timeline for the departure of the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq. “Iraq reiterated its refusal that its lands be an arena for settling scores or showing force between warring countries,” Yahya Rasool, Iraqi military spokesman, stated. He also warned that the airstrikes will have “severe implications on the security and stability in Iraq and the surrounding region.”
Tensions in the region have intensified in recent months in the wake of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ deadly October 7 attacks. Whilst the campaign has drawn condemnation from the United Nations and widespread calls for a ceasefire, the United States has continued to provide its support for Israel. Iran has not formally involved itself in the conflict, however, it has backed groups throughout Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria which have engaged in attacks on U.S. troops in the region. The Houthis, an Iran-backed group which controls parts of Yemen, have launched dozens of attacks against commercial vessels with ties to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November. This has interrupted an international trade route which makes up 15 percent of the world’s shipping traffic, and the group has claimed that they will continue this campaign in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza until the war ends. The United States has continued its military operations in response to these attacks, launching coalition strikes with the United Kingdom on 18 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday. The coalition warned that the strikes will continue until the attacks on shipping end.
The United States’ continued military operations in the region, which show no signs of abating, can only serve to further intensify escalating tensions. Whilst United States officials have claimed to be working towards peace, its increasing financial and direct involvement serve to contribute to existing cycles of violence and could potentially lead to a wider regional war. In order to properly work towards the construction of peaceful solutions, the existing framework of United States foreign policy and military involvement in the Middle East must be left behind.
