US soldiers patrol at the Suwaydiyah oil field in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria on February 13, 2021. Photo: AFP
Located 4 km west of Kamishla airport, Hemo base is considered one of the most important US bases in Syria with 350 soldiers. According to Tasnim, Hemo base is where the US military trains fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Shiite protest groups in many Arab countries to attack enemies anywhere. Armed groups calling themselves “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” have claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Hemo military base.
Previously, these armed groups said they attacked another US base near the Conico gas field in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria. In addition, several drones were shot down near Erbil International Airport in Northern Iraq, where international counter-terrorism forces are based.
US officials affirmed that most attacks did not hit their targets thanks to strong defense systems, and accused Iran of backing these attacks.
However, Iran has repeatedly affirmed that Tehran is not involved in attacking US forces in Syria and Iraq. In a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres dated November 8, 2023, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani affirmed that the US accusations are “baseless”.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the continuous attacks on US bases in Syria are believed to be in response to US forces in the context of the conflict between Israel and the armed Islamic movement Hamas. taking place in the Gaza Strip.
Currently, the US has about 900 US soldiers stationed in Syria and another 2,500 soldiers stationed in Iraq, performing training and consulting missions, supporting local forces to prevent the risk of terrorist organizations. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) has emerged in the region. There are increasing concerns that the Hamas-Israel conflict could spread throughout the Middle East and that US forces in isolated bases in the region could become targets of attack. The US has dispatched warships and fighter aircraft to the area since the conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, including two aircraft carriers. The number of additional soldiers for the area also reached thousands.
