The United States has said Iran was "actively facilitating" rocket and drone attacks, in some cases, by Iranian-backed proxy groups on US military bases in Iraq and Syria. In a statement, the US Department of Dence stated President Joe Biden has asked them to brace for more such assaults and respond to them in an appropriate manner, reported Reuters.
White House spokesman John Kirby said there had been a slight increase in such attacks over the last week, adding the US would not allow threats to its interests in the region to "go unchallenged," reported Reuters. Kirby further added that the US believed these groups were backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the Iranian government, which was also supporting the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups.
"We know that Iran is closely monitoring these events, and in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good, or for that of Iran," he said, quoted Reuters. The agency stated there has been an increase in attacks on US forces since the war between Israel and Hamas intensified.
"We are deeply concerned about the potential for any significant escalation of these attacks in the days ahead," Kirby said.
"We know Iran's goal is to maintain some level of deniability here, but we're not going to allow them to do that," Kirby said, adding "We also are not going to allow any threat to our interests in the region to go unchallenged."
Joe Biden has sent naval power, warships, marines and two aircraft carriers to the Middle East in the past two weeks, to support Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
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