Biden affirms that he does not seek a conflict with Iran after announcing attacks against pro-Iranian militias in Syria

March 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has affirmed this Friday, after announcing a series of bombardments against facilities used by “affiliated groups” to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) in northeastern Syria, that he does not seek a conflict with Tehran.

“The United States does not seek a conflict with Iran, but it is prepared to act forcefully to protect its people,” the US president said during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

These words come after Biden ordered a series of bombings against facilities used by “affiliated groups” of the IRGC in response to several attacks by pro-Iranian militias against US troops in Syria.

The attacks began on Thursday afternoon. A suspected Iranian drone fired on a US facility, killing a contractor and wounding five service members. After that, Washington announced, early this Friday, a precision air strike in northeast Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that airstrikes by US forces have killed eight suspected pro-Iranian fighters, while the death toll may rise as several are injured, some in critical condition.

The body, based in London and informants in the Arab country, has explained that Washington has directed its attacks against an arms depot in Deir Ezzor, where six of the victims would have died; and another militia hideout on the outskirts of the city of Mayadin, where the other two were reportedly killed.

On Friday afternoon, after Washington’s announcement, the situation has escalated and there have been at least two more attacks by pro-Iranian militias in retaliation for the US bombings announced in the morning.

Specifically, the attacks have been in Conoco, a base close to oil fields and one of the enclaves where US troops are deployed to help local forces in the fight against ISIS, and in Green Village, located on the northern bank of the Euphrates River, an area controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).