Militias loyal to Iran have again attacked American troops in Syria and Iraq. Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Thursday that since the US airstrike on a weapons depot in eastern Syria the day before, there have been four more attacks on US forces in the region: one in Iraq and three in Syria.

According to RojNews, the attack in Iraq was directed at the Al-Harir air base in Hewlêr (Erbil), South Kurdistan.

The number of such attacks on military bases by US soldiers in the two countries since mid-October, for which militias under the umbrella of the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” group claimed responsibility, is now 46. There have been 24 attacks in Iraq, 22 in Syria.

A total of 56 people were slightly injured in the attacks. Everyone is now back on duty. "None of our soldiers were seriously injured," Singh said. "And our infrastructure at the bases that were attacked did not suffer any significant damage. The majority of these attacks were unsuccessful."

The US military carried out air strikes in the eastern Syrian region of Deir ez-Zor on Wednesday in response to the latest attacks. The target was a weapons depot that was used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and their allies. At the end of October, the US had already carried out air strikes against two similar targets in eastern Syria.

The attacks on Western troops in the region are heightening concerns that the war in Israel could escalate into a larger conflict. The security situation throughout the Middle East has been tense since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October. As a deterrent, the US has sent additional soldiers to the region and relocated warships and air force squadrons to the eastern Mediterranean.