Iran, Syria condemn US attacks on Iran-linked facilities

Tehran says the US strikes hit civilian targets and constituted a violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty.

Tehran, Iran – The governments of Iran and Syria condemned the United States for strikes on Syrian soil that reportedly killed 19 people, which Washington said it carried out following a drone attack on US forces.

The foreign ministries of Iran and Syria criticized late on Saturday the US airstrikes that targeting the strategic region of Deir ez-Zor bordering with Iraq.

In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the US “terrorist” attacks hit civilian targets and constituted a violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty.

“The United States claims that it is present in Syria to fight Daesh (ISIL), which itself had a significant role in creating it, is just an excuse to continue its occupation and plunder Syria’s national wealth, including its energy resources and wheat,” he said.

Kanani also said that Iran only has military advisers on the ground in Syria at the request of his government, rejecting US and Israeli claims that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has a sizeable military presence in Syria.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry criticized the “brutal” attacks which it said killed several people and constituted a violation of its territorial integrity. He added that the attacks were a continued Israeli attacks and vowed to “end the US occupation.”

The United States said its raids on what it claimed were IRGC-affiliated facilities came in response to a drone strike earlier in the week that killed a US contractor in Syria. A war monitor said 19 people were killed in the US attacks.

After the attacks, US President Joe Biden said the US “does not seek conflict with Iran, but is prepared to act forcefully to protect our people.”

Earlier on Saturday, Keyvan Khosravi, the spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, had threatened an Iranian response if his positions were attacked.

“Any excuse to attack the bases that have been established on Syrian soil at the request of the Syrian government to combat terrorism and Daesh operatives will be met with a reciprocal response without hesitation,” he was quoted as saying by state media.

Pro-Iranian forces in Syria have also warned of a new answer amid tit-for-tat missile and drone attacks this week.

The latest confrontation with the US comes as Tehran works to reestablish formal diplomatic ties with regional rival Saudi Arabia and potentially with other Arab states.

Syria will reportedly restore relations with the kingdom after Tehran and Riyadh review an agreement reached earlier this month with Chinese mediation.