The White House stated on Monday that the United States will not retreat from its nearly eight-year presence in Syria, where it is fighting remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS), despite last week’s attacks on American forces there by Iran-backed factions.
White House spokesperson John Kirby noted that the United States had not witnessed any attacks or further reactions in the past 36 hours in Syria, adding, "We will remain vigilant." He referred to statements made by President Joe Biden on Friday, warning Iran that the U.S. would take strong actions to protect Americans.
Kirby said, "There has been no change in the U.S. presence in Syria as a result of what happened in the past few days," adding that the mission against ISIS would continue. He further stated, "We will not be deterred... by attacks from those armed groups."
An American base in Syria was attacked with a drone on March 23, resulting in the death of an American contractor and injuries to another contractor along with five American soldiers. The U.S. forces responded with airstrikes, which Washington said targeted pro-Iran forces.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the American strikes on Sunday, claiming that Washington is lying about the targeted sites, and emphasized its commitment to ending the "American occupation." The Iranian Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes, accusing U.S. forces of targeting "civilian sites."
