With the Middle East on the edge and Iran and its proxies riled up, US forces in Iraq and Syria are again taking hits

The first of the recent attacks that resulted in unspecified injuries among US troops occurred on August 5, when two rockets fired by an Iran-backed militia struck al-Asad airbase in Iraq. Four US service members and one contractor were injured.

Days later, on August 9, a one-way attack drone launched by Iran-backed militia forces hit Rumalyn Landing Zone, a base in Syria. The strike injured eight American service members.

There are around 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria to battle the Islamic State, Pentagon officials say. The terror group has been resurging following several years of decreased capability, US Central Command, or Centcom, warned last month.

Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in early October, US troops in these countries came under regular fire from Iran-backed militias. These attacks turned deadly in January when a drone struck a base in Jordan, killing three American soldiers and injuring dozens more. The US retaliated with widespread airstrikes.

The following months saw a period of relative calm, aside from a pair of attacks in Iraq and Syria in April. But with tensions on the rise, the past few weeks have seen a resumption of attacks, according to The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which tracks the hostilities against US forces.

Votel said that if Iran does launch an attack, it will likely include a more coordinated action with its proxy forces across the region. Such was the case the last time Tehran directly attacked Israel, in mid-April.

“I don’t necessarily subscribe to the fact that this is kind of the lead-up to it,” he said of the recent attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. “We could see something more like this in the future, though.”

The US has retaliated to past attacks that have hurt its forces, although it does not appear to have responded to either of the incidents that resulted in injuries last week. Given the extremely high regional tensions, it remains to be seen whether any action ends up taking place. The Pentagon has indicated that a response is on the table, though.

“We won’t tolerate attacks against our forces and will take all necessary steps to protect our forces,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters earlier this week. “As always, we will respond in a time and manner of our choosing,” he added.