Pentagon: There Was No Direct Iranian Directive For Proxies To Assault US Forces In The Middle East

The Pentagon stated on Monday in response to an increase in attacks in Iraq and Syria by groups thought to be supported by Iran that the United States has not received a direct instruction from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to attack American forces in the area.

Since the Israel-Gaza conflict broke out on October 7 when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, U.S. personnel have been frequently targeted by missiles and drones.

According to Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, “We don’t necessarily see that Iran has explicitly ordered them to take these kinds of attacks.”

Ryder responded when pressed on the subject: “We haven’t seen a direct order, for example, from the Supreme Leader saying: ‘Go out and do this.'”

However, Ryder asserted that Iran is eventually held accountable by the United States for such militant group attacks “by virtue of the fact that they are supported by Iran.”

According to Iranian security sources, Iran’s objective was for Middle East allies like Hezbollah to launch limited attacks on Israeli and American targets while avoiding a major escalation that would involve Tehran, a precarious position for the Islamic Republic.

Senior Biden administration figures, such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, issued warnings on Sunday about the possibility of a marked uptick in attacks against US forces stationed in the Middle East as well as Iran’s intention to prolong the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Austin issued fresh air defense orders to the Middle East over the weekend in order to protect the troops. He stated that more Patriot air defense missile system battalions as well as a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system will be sent by the Pentagon to the area.

Furthermore, in an effort to prevent Iran and organizations it supports from intensifying the fighting, the US has dispatched fighter planes and warships to the area. This involves the deployment of roughly 2,000 Marines and two aircraft carriers.

“No one wants to see a wider regional conflict, but we will not hesitate to protect our forces,” Ryder stated.

In the most recent incident, two attack drones targeted American troops in Syria on Monday, but base defenses stopped them and no casualties were reported.

Over a dozen drones and four cruise missiles fired by the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, were shot down by an American destroyer off the coast of Yemen last week. American forces also encountered other drones that were targeting troops in Iraq, some of which caused minor injuries.

Employees in the United States are always on guard due to the increased tensions. A civilian contractor passed away after a heart attack on Thursday during a false alarm at the Al-Asad airfield in Iraq.