From Ukraine to Syria… America and Iran’s confrontations could turn into a “land war“

Target Platform – the editorial team

The American and Iranian confrontations do not stop at certain geographical borders as they expand from time to time and after being almost confined to the Persian Gulf region for many years, they further expanded about a year ago, with the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, to this respective country as Iran supports Russia, and on the other side sees itself confronted by Washington on the side of Kyiv.

In Kiev

In Ukraine, Washington’s representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, stated on the 14th of January, that Iran had provided Russia with hundreds of drones, in violation of UN resolutions, and the US official indicated that Tehran was also preparing to supply Russia with ballistic missiles.

While the head of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service, Krylo Budanov, had stated earlier that Russia relied on Iran to renew its missile arsenal and explained that Russia had so far launched 540 Iranian drones in tactical strikes targeting Ukrainian power and electricity stations, he also indicated that Moscow had acquired 1,700 Iranian „Shahid” drones under a deal struck with Tehran last summer.

It was also indicated that the delivery of these aircraft took place in batches, and in this regard, on the 31st of January, the United States imposed restrictions on exports to 7 Iranian entities, and the US Department of Commerce also explained in a statement that it had added these entities to the US trade embargo list, due to their assistance to the Russian army in the production of drones.

The US State Department also announced, on February 25, that it will continue with the allies to hold those, responsible for transferring Iran’s drones to Russia, accountable, and further expounded that all means to “disrupt the transfer of Iran’s drones to Russia,” will be made use of, accusing Russia of “using Iran’s drones to hit the energy infrastructure in Ukraine“ and emphasizing that “Ukrainians are dying today as a result of Iranian action”.

Syria

And by going back to the expansion of the American-Iranian conflict from the Arab Gulf to Ukraine, other locations in the Middle East, likely or at least, have the possibility of raising the confrontation between Washington and Iran, including Syria, or specifically the areas under the control of the Damascus government, as the latter relies extensively on Iranian militias to enable its rule in the border areas with Iraq.

Those areas are Al-Bukamal and Al-Mayadin in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, which are of utmost importance to Iran, given that they are the gateway to the land road connecting from Tehran to Damascus, passing through Baghdad, and reaching Beirut.

In the context, on the 8th of last March, Deir Ezzor was subjected to a raid carried out by a drone attack, which caused the death of four people in this area, which is controlled by Iranian-affiliated factions, whereby Western sources reported that the raid had targeted Iranian weapons and was perpetrated by America in coordination with Israel, while the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman highlighted that the strike targeted a warehouse for Iranian missiles and a truck loaded with weapons.

Last year, observers indicated the existence of about 15,000 fighters from Iraqi, Afghan, and Pakistani groups loyal to Iran, only in Deir ez-Zor, specifically the area extending between the border cities of Al-Bukamal and Deir ez-Zor, passing through Al-Mayadin and other areas of Syria, which are areas that often witness strikes of unknown origin, targeting the centers of those militias that consolidate their control there.

In North and East Syria

And not far from Al-Bukamal and Al-Mayadeen, but on the opposite side of the Euphrates River, the areas of North and East Syria, which are under the control of the “Syrian Democratic Forces”, Washington’s ally in its war against the terrorist organization ISIS, are also ready for an American-Iranian confrontation, and this confrontation may take a more developed form than the conflict in Al-Bukamal and al-Mayadin, in which the conflict is currently confined to air strikes that target Iranian arms shipments to Damascus and the Lebanese Hezbollah or the Palestinian factions in Iran’s orbit.

There are American bases in Northeastern Syria, in cooperation with the “SDF”, which are ground forces, which may mean that the battle may take a ground form in the confrontations between the “Syrian Democratic Forces” on one side, and the Iranian militias in Eastern Syria on the other side, especially since over the past few months, the American forces sent a lot of equipment and auxiliary utensils, including howitzers with a range of up to 40 km, indicating the possibility of a ground battle.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, made a surprise visit to Syria, on the 4th of last March, to assess the nearly 8-year-old mission to fight ISIS and to review measures for the protection of the American forces from any attack, as he told the journalists that were traveling with him that he believed that US forces and their Kurdish-led Syrian partners are making progress in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.

When asked if he thought the Syria mission was worth the risk, Milley linked the mission to the security of the United States and its allies by saying, “If your question is: Is this mission necessary? The answer is yes.“

Mutual Bombing in Eastern Syria

That visit had indeed provoked the Iranian militias, as the US Central Command announced, on the 14th of March, that a site of the international coalition forces in northeastern Syria had been attacked by a missile, which was condemned by the US Central Command spokesman, Joe Buccino, saying that “such Missile attacks endanger Coalition forces and civilians and undermine the hard-won stability and security in Syria and the region.”

While the Pentagon said on March 23 that the US military carried out “precision air strikes” in Syria after a contractor was killed and five American soldiers were wounded in an attack earlier that day. The Pentagon also said that the strikes came In response to an attack targeting a US-led coalition base near Al-Hassakah in Northeastern Syria.

President Joe Biden granted permission to carry out a precision air strike “in Eastern Syria, against facilities used by militia groups,” according to what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement, and the US Secretary of Defense further stated: “The strikes were carried out in response to today’s attack, as well as a series of recent attacks on the coalition forces in Syria.

And Austin added: “We will take all necessary measures to defend our people, and we will always respond in the time and place that we choose … No group will be able to strike our forces with impunity”, while the Strategic Communications Coordinator in the National Security Council in the White House, John Kirby, confirmed on the 26th of March, that his country does not intend to reduce its military presence in Syria after a series of strikes on its base, and Kirby did not rule out launching an attack on pro-Iranian groups in Syria.

He added, “I certainly do not rule out the possibility of attacking if the president deems it necessary to protect our army and bases.” This indicates, in one way or another, the possibility of a ground confrontation between US forces and Iranian militias in Eastern Syria, especially with the presence of a military base for the international coalition in the Al-Tanf area, which connects the road extending from Baghdad to Damascus, where Washington has an ally in the form of the “Free Syrian Army.”