Israel attacks Gaza, US becomes a target: 170 attacks in 4 months

Melik ÇELİK - 12punto.com.tr

Since the day Israel's operation in Gaza began, attacks on US military bases in the Middle East have been on the rise. The US continues to be a target for many organizations, particularly Iran-backed Shiite groups. Following the attack on the US Tower-22 military base in Jordan, US President Joe Biden made a statement targeting Iran and signaled retaliation.

46 BASES AND 60 THOUSAND SOLDIERS IN 11 COUNTRIES

According to data compiled from open sources regarding the US military presence in the region, Washington has 46 military bases in 11 countries in the Middle East. However, Iran claims that there are 82 US bases in the Middle East. The countries where these bases are located are, in order, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Oman.

US troops are most heavily deployed in Kuwait. It is estimated that there are nearly 15 thousand US soldiers in total at Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Camp Buehring, and Camp Patriot.

The Washington administration's largest base in the region is the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. In addition to this, the 5th Fleet in Bahrain and the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are its other major bases. It is estimated that there are nearly 60 thousand US soldiers in all these bases combined.

The US military bases, especially in Iraq and Syria, have been under constant attack since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7. Since October, more than 170 attacks have been carried out on these bases. Nearly sixty of these attacks were carried out in Iraq, and over eighty attacks were carried out in Syria. Dozens of US soldiers were wounded as a result of the attacks. The first loss occurred in the attack on the Tower-22 base in Jordan on January 28.

The US has 9 bases in Iraq. The bases located near Al Harir, Mosul, Al Asad, and Erbil International Airport are the most well-known. A total of 2,500 US soldiers are serving in Iraq.

During this process, the US bases in Syria were targeted the most. The Washington administration has 30 bases in Syria along with a total of 1,500 soldiers. These military bases were built as part of the coalition mission established against ISIS.

Al-Tanf, Al-Omar oil field, Al-Shaddadi, Hemo, Tel Baydar, Abu Kamal, and Mayadin bases have been targeted many times by Shiite militias with rockets, kamikaze drones, and missiles. The attacks are claimed by Iraqi Shiite groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi), such as Kataib Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and the Nujaba Movement, led by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the Houthis in Yemen.

The US has also carried out many retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. According to figures released following the airstrikes, nearly sixty Shiite militants have been killed to date. Among those killed was Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, one of the high-ranking commanders of the Nujaba Movement. Israel, on the other hand, killed Iranian Brigadier General Seyyed Razi Mousavi in an airstrike on Damascus on December 25.

The Ansarullah (Supporters of God) organization, which belongs to the Zaydi branch of Shiism and is known as the Houthis in Yemen, has also targeted US ships in the Red Sea many times. A coalition including the UK, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and Bahrain was established under US leadership against the Houthis, who stated that they were carrying out the attacks in support of Gaza. The US and the UK have carried out many airstrikes against the Houthis, who target commercial ships heading to Israel with anti-ship missiles and sea boats.