After US forces came under attack in Iraq on October 17, a previously unknown militant group emerged to take credit for the drone strikes on two military bases and warned of future attacks.
The incidents marked the first time that the US had been directly targeted over Washington’s support for Israel’s war on Hamas that was triggered by the deadly assault by Gaza-based militants.
Since then, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq has claimed almost two dozen further attacks that have targeted US installations in both Iraq and Syria, injuring dozens of US troops. Washington has struck back once in eastern Syria, with officials also warning of further action.