The United States has criticized an Iranian missile attack on terrorist targets in eastern Syria, labeling it “reckless, unsafe and escalatory”.
In a statement sent to VOA on Monday, Pentagon Spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said Iran took no measures to notify other military powers operating in Syria of Monday’s predawn missile strike.
He asserted that “professional” military forces such as those of the US-led coalition in Syria and of Russia “deconflict” their operations to ensure maximum safety.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said six missiles launched from the northwestern province of Kermanshah flew over central Iraq and struck targets in the eastern Syrian town of Albu Kamal near the Iraqi border.
The IRGC said the targeted militants included “takfiri” terrorists and Arab separatists, whom it blames for a Sept. 22 attack on an Iranian military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, which killed at least 25 people.
US-led coalition forces also have been targeting the self-styled Islamic State militants in eastern Syria as part of an operation purportedly meant to eradicate the terror group from both Syria and Iraq.
Robertson contended that the coalition is “more than capable” of defeating the remnants of IS in the Euphrates River Valley that stretches from eastern Syria into western Iraq.
“Given the complex nature of the battle space, such strikes potentially jeopardize the forces who are actively fighting ISIS in Syria,” he said, referring to an acronym for the militant group.
“Any Iranian activity in this area is reckless, unsafe and escalatory,” he claimed.
