U.S. forces based in the Middle East have been attacked at least 13 times in the past week, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson revealed Tuesday.

 

 

Between Oct. 17-24, American troops were targeted 10 times in Iraq and three times in Syria “via a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets,” press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon.

 

While there is no evidence that Iran has ordered the attacks, Defense Department officials said Monday that all recent targeting of U.S. troops had “Iranian fingerprints all over it.”

 

“It’s been well-documented and you’ve heard U.S. officials across the podiums as well as policy leaders for years talk about Iran’s funding, equipping, guidance and direction, to partners and proxies across the region,” a senior defense official told reporters. 

 

“That includes Lebanese Hezbollah, militia groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Houthis in Yemen. So I think it’s fair to say when you see this uptick in activity and attacks by many of these groups, there’s Iranian fingerprints all over it,” they added.

 

Ryder did not have the exact number of U.S. troops injured during the attacks, but the Pentagon earlier revealed that an American contractor died of a heart attack during a false alarm at al Asad air base in Iraq. 

 

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Not in the least surprising