US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that his country will do what is necessary to protect its forces in Iraq, and that the response to attacking an American base there will be deliberate, while American B-52 bombers flew over the Middle East, on the second Mission since President Joe Biden took office on January 20.
The US Secretary of Defense said - in an interview with the American network "ABC" - that "if the United States will respond to the attack of the Ain Al-Assad base (western Iraq), that will be at the time and place you choose."
Minister Austin said, "The Iranians must know that the United States will defend its forces, and that its response will be measured and appropriate."
A message to Iran
When the US Secretary of Defense was asked, has a message reached Iran that the US response to the missile strikes on the Ain Al-Assad base last Wednesday would not represent an escalation?
He replied that Iran is able to assess the strike and the American activities.
Last Thursday, the American forces launched air strikes on facilities at a border control point in Syria last February, which are used by Iranian-backed factions, including the "Hezbollah Brigades" and "Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada".
The US bombing came in response to the missile strikes that targeted the largest US base in Iraq, and Iraqi officials said that 10 missiles fell on the base, but the US Defense Department was more conservative, and said that the base witnessed 10 explosions.
The attack on the US base claimed the life of an American civilian contractor.
The United States accuses the "Hezbollah Brigades" and Iraqi armed factions close to Iran of being behind the repeated missile attacks targeting its embassy in Baghdad and its military bases.
Statement issued by US Central Command pic.twitter.com/sYLIwa0Cma
- US Central Command (@CENTCOMArabic) March 7, 2021
Two strategic launchers
In a related context, the US military said - in a statement on Twitter - that two US "B-52" strategic bombers flew over the Middle East for the fourth time since the beginning of the year, and the second since President Biden took power.
The US Army Central Command stated that the two bombers flew over the sky with military aircraft from regional countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
According to the American Associated Press, data from Flightradar - which is concerned with instant tracking of flights - showed that the two bombers took off from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, central United States.
The US military did not mention Iran directly in its statement, but indicated that the mission aims to "deter aggression and reassure the United States and its partners."