The U.S.
says there have
been 78 drone strikes within that Syria
region since 2021
by these Iranian proxies first.
What does that mean
Iranian proxy
when we're talking about this
and number two
what are they up to
if they're striking the US
so much they're
So these are groups
that are affiliated
with Hezbollah
or other groups in the region.
They are conducting
resupply reconnaissance operations
they're building their forces
against Israel.
They're supporting Bashar
Assad to some extent.
The Israelis go against them.
And our mission
there is to support our allies,
both our Kurdish allies
working against ISIS.
And also we collect information
and intelligence.
Now, why this is particularly
disturbing is
when they're able
to bring accurate
targeting against the United States
and inflict casualties.
This raises
the level of risk for our personnel
in the region.
Attacks, mortars
or mortar falls and accurately
and so forth.
That's an attack, a drone that hits a
or a barracks facility and takes out
five service members.
That's a different order of magnitude.
So we're retaliating.
The question is, will
we have to actually defend
against these drones
in order to maintain our footprint
in the region?
We don't want to do that.
Obviously,
we don't want to escalate against Iran,
as the secretary of defense said.
So this is raising the risks for us and
creating some policy dilemmas.
If it does create this new level rise
you're describing,
if the Iranian proxies can hit U.S.
troops with these precision weapons,
what then do you do about it?
Is this precision strike so call by U.S.
officials in retaliation enough
Well, we don't know.
I mean,
this really goes back to
what the Iranian intent is.
Can they keep us off balance and off
and the Israelis off balance and off
to build up their forces, maintain
their leverage against Israel,
their relations with Syria?
These are all variables that are
that are evaluated by the Iranians.
And then they determine
the next course of action.
Will they like to drive us
out of the region?
Absolutely.
That would give them
greater control of the region.
Also reduce our ability to support Iraq
and give them greater influence.
They're all
part of Iran's quest
for regional Germany,
and we're there to block it.
And a very
and we're doing
so in a very efficient, safe manner.
We don't need these
kind of drone strikes.
You know, Iran is raising it's raising
the bar.
It's got the relationship with Russia.
And China is just to help
restore relationship.
So we're entering a new era
in the region.
Talk to me about that wider picture
because Iran's got its fingers
in Ukraine.
Also,
the Russians are using Iranian drones
to attack the Ukrainians here
Yes, that's right.
And there's a possibility
they're going to build a factory
in Ukraine
or maybe in Crimea
or in Russia
to be able to manufacture
more drones there.
So, you know,
this is all part of Iran's quest
to return to great power status.
It's a regional hegemony
and they're using Russia
they're using their relationship
with China.
They feel a little bit more confident
and they're still struggling
with enormous internal resistance.
These protests that began last fall
are still continuing
to some extent inside Iran.
The regime is not stable
and it projects itself and builds
its reputation
by these kinds of actions externally.
We're getting some new information
in after a U.S.
contractor was killed in a drone
strike in Syria overnight.
The Pentagon believes
it was an Iranian affiliated drone
that hit a facility housing U.S.
personnel.
Five U.S.
service members were injured
in an additional U.S.
contractor was wounded.
We are learning that all of the U.S.
service members
injured are in stable condition.
So that's good news.
President Biden authorized
what the US calls
a precision airstrike
in response
against facilities
believed to be used
by the group
that they think is responsible
for the attack.
CNN's Nic Robertson is with me now.
And Nic,
I was surprised to learn
there have been 78
drone strikes
since 2021
from these Iranian proxy groups.
That's an awful lot.
But this one was fatal and deadly
and elicited a response, creating
a pretty delicate situation.
Yeah, it does.
I mean, consider
the delicate situation in this way.
And there are many ways
to consider it, of course.
But one part of the puzzle
at the moment is the United States
trying to pull off a deal
to get some American citizens
that have been illegally held
in Iranian jails
for a number of years
now trying to get them out.
And that does appear
to be
getting reasonably close to fruition.
The Iranians seem to
want to make it happen.
Just a couple of weeks ago,
they tweeted out that
actually the deal had been done.
The White House
said, no, that's not not the case.
But the point being,
that's going on in the background.
The Iranians want something out of this.
President Biden
definitely wants something
out of it as well.
No one's going to compromise
that position.
But, of course,
an escalation around this attack
and there isn't an escalation
at the moment.
But if there was,
that could put
that sort of deal in jeopardy.
Of course,
that would be worrying
for the family members.
But of course, you have as well.
You know,
Iran trying to maintain its influence
in Syria,
where the bigger
diplomatic picture is changing.
President Assad has sort of been
welcomed by some of his Arab neighbors
as a rapprochement
that's going on
that came out
and part of the of the earthquake
in Syria
recently, the support that was provided.
So that diplomatic door is opening.
Could be the Iranians are worried that
they see that Arab neighbors long
unfriendly towards them
returning back
to Syria and squeezing them out of space.
There are so many potential
dynamics here.
Either
that you can put
one finger on on any specific one.
But all of that
is in the background here.
But but the risk of escalation,
that's real.
Again, the Iranian proxy groups
have been doing this for some time.
Is there
anything that the United States, too,
could do
or maybe it would be willing to do
is a better question.
To stop it.
I think there's always that concern
with Iran
that as you push them in one place,
then they up something somewhere else.
They have a lot of proxies
Everyone at the moment is talking
about how
their proxies,
the Houthis in Yemen,
have dialed back
their violence,
sending missiles into into Saudi Arabia.
If you press down on the Iranians
in Syria, do they get their proxies that
start up?
Do that
proxies in Hezbollah in that proxies,
Hezbollah in Lebanon,
start up and create
increased tensions with with Israel?
There's any way that Iran can ramp up,
but primarily their beef, if you will.
Their issue
with the United States is they
want them out of the region
and will continue through proxies
to try to attack,
to try to diminish the will to stay,
but that the US troops in Syria
are there predominantly to tackle ISIS
and ISIS
until recently
has been more deadly against US
forces in Syria than the Iranians have.
Again, it's a very,
very complex situation.
But to your point 78 attacks
since 20,
21, that's an average of one almost every
ten days.
That's significant
and it can't be overlooked
and I think that's very clearly why
there was such a fast response,
not just that the President
said, yes, do something quickly though.
There was a target list ready to go, too.
You've seen in the video
those sort of secondary explosions.
And in the past,
when there have been
response strikes
by the United States have targeted
ammunition dumps.
We don't know what was hit this time,
but it looked like it could have been.
That's a very good point.
It's apparently a target
list at the ready there.
Nic Robertson,
thank you so much for
helping us understand this.