Retaliatory strike

Kurdish fighters killed in attack on US base

US troops in Syria (archive image)(Bild: AFP)

According to activists, six fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been killed in a drone attack on a US base in Syria. Around 20 other people were injured, said Rami Abdel Rahman, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on Monday.

The pro-Iranian group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

SDF section hit
Abdel Rahman said that an SDF section inside the base had been hit in the attack. It was the first attack by pro-Iranian groups against a US base since retaliatory attacks by Washington in Syria and Iraq at the end of last week.

Drone attack in Jordan: 3 US soldiers dead
On January 28, a drone struck a base in Jordan, killing three US soldiers and injuring more than 40 others. Washington holds Iranian-backed groups responsible. The US responded on Friday with a series of attacks on targets in Syria and Iraq linked to Iran and declared that it would continue its retaliatory measures.

US base in Jordan(Bild: AFP)

The US base at the Al-Omar oil field is part of a US-led coalition aimed at continuing the fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia, which has already been pushed back. Around 900 US soldiers are stationed in Syria and around 2,500 in Iraq as part of this coalition.

US military again destroys Houthi militia missiles in Yemen
According to the US military, targets of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen were also hit again on Sunday. Five missiles were destroyed in the airstrikes, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the US regional command responsible for the Middle East. Five missiles were said to have been prepared for firing at ships and one missile for ground targets.

Houthi supporters(Bild: AP)

US forces "identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and determined they posed an imminent threat to US Navy vessels and commercial ships in the region," CENTCOM added. On Saturday, US and UK forces said they had struck dozens of targets in Yemen.

"Axis of the resistance"
The Houthi are also supported by Iran. Since mid-November, the Houthi have attacked numerous ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The militia claims that the reason for the attacks is to support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the war against Israel. The radical Islamic Hamas and Houthi militia see themselves as part of the self-proclaimed "Axis of Resistance" against Israel.

The shipping route from the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden to the Indian Ocean is an extremely important route for global trade and passes directly by Yemen. Due to the Houthi attacks on container ships, many shipping companies are now avoiding sailing through the Red Sea, which leads to delays and increased freight costs due to the long detours.