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Iran is planning to launch deadly attacks against United States forces in Syria while working with Russia to drive Americans out of the country, The Washington Post reported on June 1, citing U.S. intelligence officials and leaked classified documents.
According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps elite Quds Force is training operatives to use powerful explosive devices known as Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs), that could damage armors intended to target U.S. military vehicles specifically in hopes to kill American troops.
EFPs are a special type of shaped charge designed to penetrate armor effectively, from a much greater standoff range, than standard shaped charges.
The U.S. maintains some 900 troops in Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS. The troops are deployed between lucrative oil and gas fields in the northeastern region and a garrison blocking the strategic Damascus-Baghadad highway in the southeastern region.
Forces affiliated with Quds Force launched many attacks with rockets and drones on U.S. bases in Syria in the last few years.
Three U.S. bases in Deir Ezzor neighboring al-Hasakah were attacked on March 23 and 24. The attacks claimed the life of a U.S. military contractor and left 23 U.S. service members and a second U.S. contractor wounded.
Back then, the U.S. Central Command responded to the attacks by carrying out a series of strikes against alleged Iranian positions in Deir Ezzor. At least eight Iran-aligned fighters were killed.
The leaked document obtained by The Washington Post is one of several other classified materials leaked on the messaging platform Discord earlier this year. The documents explaining the information about the Iranian plan are based on a communication interception between Syrian and Lebanese commanders allied to Iran.
According to one document, an attempt to use those new EFPS against U.S. troops in January failed when fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces seized three such explosive devices in northeastern Syria.
A second classified material in the leak describes a new effort by Russia, Syria, and Iran to drive out the American troops from Syria, while a third material explains how Iran and allied militias are planning to retaliate for Israeli strikes on their forces by attacking US bases in Syria.
The leaked documents also revealed that high-ranking Iranian, Syrian and Russian officials met in November of last year and agreed to establish a center where they would coordinate efforts to push the U.S. out from the country.
The U.S. has been expanding its military presence in Syria in spite of Damascus’ objection, coordinating with Israel against Iranian forces in the country and violating de-confliction protocols with the Russian military group there. This behavior is only causing more escalation in the war-torn country.
Despite facing more political pressure and growing security threats, Washington appears to be determined to keep its troops in Syria for the long term.
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