Amid Israeli Attacks on Border Areas of Syria and Lebanon; Armed Drone Shot Down Over Erbil Airport in Iraq

As Israeli attacks on border areas with Syria and Lebanon have intensified over the past 24 hours, two security sources told Reuters that an armed drone was shot down over Erbil Airport in northern Iraq, where American and other international forces are stationed. These sources added that it is unclear whether this thwarted attack caused any damage or casualties. This is the third attack that has been neutralized in the past two days. Defense systems shot down an armed drone over the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, which hosts international forces including the U.S., on Monday. A few hours earlier, a drone was shot down over Erbil Airport. Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed today that it conducted attacks in response to rocket fire into northern Israel from Syria over the past 24 hours. The Israeli army stated in a brief announcement that it targeted 'infrastructure' belonging to the Syrian army. The Israeli army also reported that its fighter jets bombed Hezbollah positions in the village of Yaron in Lebanon, near the Israeli border. Additionally, the Israeli army confirmed that two rockets were fired from Lebanon towards the settlement of Shlomi. The escalation of Israeli conflicts at the border with Lebanon and Syria comes as it was announced yesterday that Israel would withdraw part of its forces from Gaza. In recent days, clashes have been reported between forces affiliated with the Islamic Republic and coalition forces, including the U.S., in Iraq and Syria. A few days ago, two members of Iraqi militia groups told the Associated Press that six Iranian-backed militants were killed during three airstrikes on Saturday night, January 9, in eastern Syria near a strategic border crossing with Iraq. The attacks on the border area of Al-Bukamal occurred hours after a group of Iranian-backed Iraqi militants known as 'Islamic Resistance' claimed responsibility for the attack on a U.S. military base in Erbil, northern Iraq. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, this group has carried out over a hundred attacks on U.S. positions in Iraq and eastern Syria. U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military to strike Iranian-backed Iraqi groups last week following a missile attack that injured three American soldiers. According to the Associated Press, the rising tensions have put Baghdad in a delicate position. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Soudani has attempted to reduce tensions between the militia groups that played a role in his rise to power and the United States, which holds Iraq's currency reserves. The U.S. has ended the mission of the aircraft carrier 'Ford' in the Middle East after three extensions.