Top US official claims Washington does not seek war with Iran
The US National Security Council spokesman claimed that the US strikes in Syria were carried out in defense of the American troops and that Washington does not want armed conflict with Iran.
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It was reported earlier today that the US military carried out air strikes in Syria after an American contractor was killed and five service members wounded when a drone it claimed was of Iranian origin crashed into a coalition base.
According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin late on Thursday, the targets of the airstrikes were facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran.
According to a Bloomberg report, traditional US allies in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are going their own way in de-escalating with Iran and restoring ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
He’s backed by Tehran and Moscow and remains under Western sanctions.
Meanwhile, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that Biden had a discussion with his national security team on his way to Ottawa Thursday and received recommendations on potential response options.
“He made the decision very, very shortly in that discussion to authorize these strikes against these particular targets,” Kirby told CNN.
According to Bloomberg, the White House spokesman added that the US does not seek war with Iran and is not looking for armed conflict but that the Biden administration would do what it must to defend its troops and facilities.
Three of the wounded military personnel and a second contractor who was wounded were evacuated to medical facilities in Iraq, according to the statement, which did not provide further details, including on how the drone attack unfolded.
According to the Press TV English website's report, local sources pointed out that the target was not an Iran-aligned military post as the US military claimed, but rather a rural development center and a grain center in Hrabash neighborhood, near Dayr al-Zawr military airport.
Meanwhile, no Iranian was killed in the act of aggression.
A military source in Syria told Press TV that the resistance groups reserve their right to respond to the American attack and will take reciprocal action.
Meanwhile, it was reported by local media in Syria that a military base housing US forces in eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr has come under a rocket attack hours after the Pentagon carried out multiple airstrikes against Syrian troops.
Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news network, citing local sources, reported that the rockets landed in the vicinity of US-controlled al-Omar oil field at around 11 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Friday, causing several explosions.
Iranian officials have not commented on the claims made by the US officials on the matter. Tehran says it has no military presence in Syria and only its advisors are helping Syrian government in its battle against terrorist groups and reconstructing the country after the devastating war.
