US troops attacked by UAVs in Syria

A US official confirmed to Reuters on August 9 that the US military was attacked in northeastern Syria by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

There were no reports of injuries to US service members following the attack at the US Air Force Base Rumalyn in Syria, the official said. "Medical assessments are underway. We are also conducting damage assessments right now."

No group has claimed responsibility for the August 9 attack. More recently, on August 5, a rocket attack on Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq wounded four U.S. service members and one U.S. contractor. The Pentagon blamed the attack on an Iran-backed proxy force.

Iran does not withdraw its retaliation statement

Several senior military commanders in Iran said on August 9 that the latest call for peace talks for the Gaza Strip made by the United States, Qatar and Egypt would not make them reconsider their plans to retaliate against Israel.

General Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – the unit responsible for protecting Iran's borders and which would command an attack on Israel – has said that Iran will not back down from its threat to retaliate.

“This is now Iran’s responsibility and will be carried out in the best possible form,” General Fadavi said.

The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that the ceasefire talks would not affect Tehran's decision and that senior officials, including new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and military commanders remained united in their decision to retaliate.

Iran's mission to the United Nations said on August 9 that its priority is to establish a ceasefire in Gaza and will recognize any agreement accepted by Hamas.

On the same day, the Iranian military transferred 2,640 pieces of military equipment, including ballistic missiles and advanced drones, to the IRGC's naval force, releasing footage and images of the weapons on state media.

However, there are signs that some members of the country's ruling elite are willing to seek a diplomatic solution to the war in Gaza, and thus avoid a military escalation in the long-running conflict between Iran and Israel.

“Iran’s efforts to end the war between Israel and Hamas and save the people of Gaza will be the best revenge for Haniyeh. For the Palestinian people, Iran and the entire region,” former Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi wrote in a post on X.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and a presidential candidate in the recent election, told a group of clerical students on August 9 that he supported negotiations as a method to achieve Iran's goals.

Meanwhile, Israeli and U.S. military officials continue to coordinate and monitor the situation. On August 9, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke for at least the sixth time since the latest escalation began late last month.

A day earlier, the commander of the Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E. Kurilla, arrived in Israel on his second visit in less than a week.

The US State Department said on August 9 that Washington will disburse $3.5 billion in new military aid to Israel from a previously approved supplemental budget bill.

The disbursement is expected to take place within 15 days. Israel plans to use the money to purchase weapons from the US government or from US companies.

The Israeli military said early on August 9 that it had launched another attack on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in an assault involving ground troops, warplanes, attack helicopters and paratroopers, after ordering thousands of residents to leave the area.

The attack was the latest by the Israeli military in cities and neighborhoods where it had been battling Hamas for months, saying militants had regrouped there.

A Hamas official responsible for security at a major Palestinian refugee camp was killed in an Israeli airstrike on August 9 in the coastal city of Sidon south of the capital Beirut, Lebanon's state news agency reported.

The official was identified as Samer al-Hajj, who oversees Hamas security forces at the Ein al-Hilweh camp. Two civilians were also wounded in the airstrike, Lebanon's state news agency said.

The Israeli military took responsibility for the airstrike, calling al-Hajj responsible for planning and executing attacks from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on August 9 that the volume of aid delivered through operational border crossings into Gaza has more than halved since early May, when the Rafah crossing was closed.

For months, aid groups have said they have been unable to distribute much-needed food and supplies because of the chaos in Gaza.

Minh Duc (According to NY Times, Al Jazeera)