Tehran denies involvement in attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq

Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, has categorically denied accusations that Iran was involved in attacks on US military bases in Syria and Iraq. The denial comes in response to a letter from the US to the UN Security Council, alleging Iran's role in operations against American forces in the two countries.

The Pentagon had earlier reported that 46 US troops had sustained injuries from drone attacks on bases in Iraq and Syria since October 17. Iravani, however, dismissed these allegations as attempts by the US to legitimize its military actions in Syria, accusing it of violating international law and the UN Charter.

Insisting that Iran's presence in Syria is legal and based on an official request from the Syrian government, Iravani called for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

In response to escalating rocket and drone attacks by Iranian-backed militias on US troops in Syria and Iraq, the Pentagon has taken measures to protect its forces stationed in the Middle East. The US reportedly sent two aircraft carrier strike groups, dozens of fighter jets, and a ballistic missile submarine to the region as part of these measures.

The deployment was also aimed at preventing Iran from expanding the war between Israel and Hamas, according to Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.

Iranian-backed militias have reportedly launched at least 40 attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, resulting in 46 US troops being injured.

Despite the growing threat, Singh stated that the US would respond at a time and place of its choosing, noting that it is "incredibly strategic" about when to take kinetic action.

Elsewhere in Syria, two militants from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in an armed attack in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor. The gunmen, who remain unidentified, attacked an IRGC patrol, leading to the death of Ossama al-Akhtal and Ali Hussein, both of whom were members of the IRGC. Following the attack, the IRGC launched an arrest campaign in the region, while the attackers are believed to have escaped into the Syrian Desert.