US defense officials say that US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked at least five times in the past two days, while Iranian backed militias continue their nearly month long offensive in support of Hamas's crackdown on Israel.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday (November 7th) that the recent rocket attack hit the Mission Support Site Euphrates facility in Syria, but did not cause any casualties or infrastructure damage to the US military at the base.
US military officials earlier confirmed that Iraq's Erbil Air Force Base was once again attacked by one-way drones on Tuesday.
Iran supported militias attacked the Erbil Air Force Base on Monday and launched two attacks on the US military near Tall Baydar, Syria.
The Pentagon said the attack did not cause any casualties or infrastructure damage.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Tuesday, "We see an increase in attacks. But we have not seen any significant casualties so far. We have not seen significant damage to our infrastructure." She confirmed that Iranian backed militias have launched at least 40 attacks since October 17th. Among them, 32 were attacks on the US military stationed in Iraq, and the other 18 were attacks on the US military stationed in Syria.
A total of 46 people were injured in the attack by the US military, including 25 diagnosed with brain trauma. Pentagon officials say most of the injuries were minor, with 40 people returning to service.
In recent weeks, the United States has strengthened its military presence in the Middle East by sending two aircraft carriers, dozens of fighter jets, and a missile submarine to the area to contain Iran and its agents from expanding the Israeli-Kazakhstan conflict.
The United States also launched an air strike on October 26th to destroy weapons and ammunition depots used by Iranian backed militias in Iraq.
A senior US military official said at the time that these facilities were directly related to the attack on the US military, "doing so is to protect our people in Syria and Iraq
Iranian backed militias have since increased their attacks on local US forces, but Pentagon officials say their attacks after the US airstrikes did not cause any casualties or damage to US facilities.
Singh told reporters on Tuesday, "Although we see an increase in attacks, our goal is to ensure that this conflict does not expand beyond Israel. So I would like to say that our deterrence is currently very strong
She also denied claims that the United States is unwilling to retaliate against drone and rocket attacks.
Singh said, "We respond at the time and place we choose. We don't necessarily have to give back every time. The time we decide to take action is very strategic