Washington Post: Iran Plans to Increase Attacks Against American Forces in Syria

The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing intelligence officials and leaked classified documents, that Iran is seeking to initiate a new phase of attacks against American soldiers by arming militias in Syria. According to the newspaper, the Islamic Republic is collaborating with Russia as part of a broader strategy to drive Americans out of the region. Iran and its allies are creating and training forces to use more powerful roadside bombs specifically designed to target U.S. military vehicles and kill American personnel. Intelligence analysts and arms experts state that while drone attacks have injured six American soldiers and killed one Defense Department contractor, new explosive equipment could increase American casualties and pose a greater risk of a wider confrontation between the United States and the Islamic Republic in the region. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias repeatedly attacked American military convoys using these explosive devices during the extensive American presence in Iraq. According to one intelligence report, IRGC Quds Force officials monitored the testing of one roadside bomb in al-Dumayr, located east of Damascus, late last January. This report is based on intercepted communications between Syrian and Lebanese militias allied with the Islamic Republic on the messaging platform 'Discord.' Another document indicates that an apparent attempt to use these bombs against American forces occurred in early March, during which U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters managed to discover and seize these bombs and neutralize the operation. Another document cited by the Washington Post indicates a new and extensive effort by Russia, Syria, and the Islamic Republic to drive Americans out of Syria, which would allow Assad to regain control over eastern provinces held by U.S.-allied Kurds. The Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations have maintained about 900 soldiers and hundreds of contractors in Syria to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, counter Iranian and Russian ambitions, and use this presence as leverage to achieve other strategic goals of Washington. Another document shows how Iran and its affiliated militias are preparing to attack American bases in Syria in retaliation for Israeli attacks on them. According to a confidential assessment from January, military and intelligence officials from Iran, Russia, and Syria agreed during a meeting last November to establish a 'coordination center' aimed at inciting local populations in eastern and northeastern Syria against the American presence. According to one of the documents cited in the Washington Post report, the IRGC Quds Force has been involved in designing and providing operational advice for the use of one of the roadside bombs. This document mentions Sadegh Omidzadeh, an IRGC Quds official, who specifically identified 'American Humvee and Cougar armored vehicles in Syria' as intended targets and discussed sending unidentified operatives to take reconnaissance photos of the roads used by American forces. Although the Pentagon has declined to comment on this, two current officials and one former American official with access to sensitive information from the region have confirmed the efforts of Iranian-affiliated groups to escalate attacks on Americans through roadside bombs. The Washington Post did not disclose the names of these three officials. Another leaked document indicates that Russia's 'transactional' relationship with Iran has created friction between the two countries. According to this document, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with being sidelined in Russia-led negotiations with Turkey on how to achieve a permanent solution to end the war. The Washington Post writes that although the alliance between Russia and the Islamic Republic has strengthened since Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the leaders of the two countries have differing views on how to manage Syria in the post-war period, and Russia has implicitly allowed Israel to target the positions of the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups in Syria.