At an American base in Jordan on January 28th a drone strike killed three U.S. service members and left many others wounded. Despite Iran denying their involvement in the attack, America claimed Iran funded and armed the militants and took an earnest stand, promising a forceful American response.
In retaliation after the attack, president Joe Biden articulated in a statement that air assaults would further. Earlier this month, an air assault was launched by the American military at many locations in Iraq and Syria. However, as the U.S. attempts to prevent the conflict from elevating further, the retaliation strikes committed were not directly targeting the Revolutionary Guards Quds.
Adding to the uncertainty of America’s future international relations with Iran, Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran militant, vowed to adjourn Iran’s attacks against United States troops, while others have decided to continue fighting.
The U.S. Central Command has reported that the attack involved over 125 precision munitions, yet it still tried to limit civilian casualties by accounting for additional factors, such as the weather.
Since October when the war between Israel and Hamas began, tensions have been rising on a global level, as seen with the United States’ present relationship with Iraq and Syria. The U.S. currently has about 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq to assist in fighting with an Islamic state terror group. However, according to an article by Jeff Seldin for the VOA News, “since Israel launched a military campaign against Iran-allied Hamas in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, terror attack, Iranian proxy forces have repeatedly targeted U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria to show solidarity with Hamas and Gaza.”
The status of the Israel-Hamas war has had a clear impact on the international relations between other countries, as seen by the rocky relations of the United States, Syria, and Iraq. This begs the question of what the future holds for America on an international level, as the war rages on.