Iran strikes 'terrorist' targets in Syria in retaliation for Revolutionary Guards attack
Iran launched ballistic missiles into eastern Syria on Monday in response to last month’s shooting attack on a military parade which killed 24 people, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said.
The pre-dawn strikes with surface-to-surface missiles and drones were aimed at the area around Abu Kamal, where the last remnants of Islamic State (Isil) are still holding territory, according to Iranian media.
The Revolutionary Guard said the strike targeted “the headquarters of Takfiri terrorists”, a term that Iran’s government uses to describe to Sunni jihadists like Isil.
“Many Takfiri terrorists and the leaders responsible for the terrorist crime in Ahvaz have been killed or wounded in this missile attack," the Guard said in a statement.
The US-led military coalition confirmed that Iran had carried out strikes near Albu Kamal but said that it was “still assessing” if the missiles hit their targets.
Iran initially blamed Arab separatists backed by the US and Gulf Arab states for the September 22 attack on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, later implied that Isil was to blame.
Both the Arab separatists and Isil claimed responsibility for the attack and Monday’s strikes appeared to be aimed at Isil.
Iran carried out similar strikes in Syria in June 2017 in response to an Isil attack on the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency said six Zolfaqar and Qiam class missiles were fired from western Iran and flew 350 miles through Iraqi airspace to strike targets in eastern Syria.
At least one of the missiles was painted with the slogans “Death to America”, “Death to Israel”, and “Death to al Saud” - a reference to the ruling family of Saudi Arabia, according to Fars.
The agency said that seven Revolutionary Guard drones attacked minutes after the missiles struck.
General Mohsen Rezai, former head of the Guard, said the attack "was only a jab against these criminals. The real punishment is yet to come.”
Iran has a history of making false claims about the success of its missiles and there was no independent confirmation of the Guard’s claims to have killed jihadist fighters.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the missiles struck the town of Hajin, where Isil fighters are battling against US-backed Kurdish and Syrian forces.
Colonel Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, said Iran gave no notice ahead of the strikes.
"At this time, the coalition is still assessing if any damage occurred and no coalition forces were in danger," he said.
