US troops warned to brace for retaliation from Iran after strike kills top commanders
U.S. troops serving in the Middle East may be under a renewed threat of attacks by Iran and its proxies following an airstrike on Iran's consulate in Syria on Monday.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, a top commander with the U.S. Air Force, said the strike – believed to be carried out by Israel – may be a catalyst for renewed attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. suffered over 150 such attacks in the months following October 7, but those attacks slowed after three American troops were killed in January.
"I am concerned because of the Iranian rhetoric talking about the U.S., that there could be a risk to our forces," Grynkewich said.
The U.S. has insisted to Iran that it had nothing to do with Monday's strike in Syria. Nevertheless, Iranian officials have said they hold the U.S. just as responsible for the attack as Israel.
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Israel has not confirmed its own involvement in the attack, though U.S. officials have said evidence indicates it was an Israeli strike.
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Iranian officials have vowed swift retaliation for the attack, but experts say response is likely to be carried out through Iran's network of terrorist proxies, such as Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has also vowed "punishment and revenge" for the attack, calling those killed in the strike "martyrs."
Yigal Carmon, a former adviser to two Israeli prime ministers on countering terrorism and founder and president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), told Fox News Digital that, "[Iran's supreme leader's] policies over the years reflect cowardice. The Iranian pattern of reaction is such that he escalates when he feels that the other side is afraid of him, and backs down when the other side shows deterrence."
He continued, "In the attack on an official Iranian government target in Damascus, Israel escalated against Iran, telling Iran that Israel will not continue with the proxy game so commonly played by Iran. The Israeli escalation was to serve as a warning: we are ready for battle with you, Iran, directly, at this time, even though we are at war in both Gaza and Lebanon."
Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria only slowed after the Biden administration ordered a massive wave of strikes against Iran-allied targets in reaction to the killing of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan earlier this year.