The US army reinforced its occupation in northern Syria throughout the month of April in fear of a renewed surge of resistance attacks against US military bases in the country. 

“The US began an additional reinforcement plan for its illegal bases in Syria, since the incident of the [Israeli] targeting of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, for fear of a response that would target its bases. The reinforcements included weapons and equipment,” sources told Al-Mayadeen on 29 April. 

More than 120 trucks and eight military cargo planes loaded with various types of weaponry and equipment, including air defenses, arrived at the Kharab al-Jir base in Hasakah and the US-occupied Al-Omar oilfield in Deir Ezzor this month, according to Al-Mayadeen.

The report comes just a week after a US base in Syria was attacked with rockets for the first time since February. No group has since claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The Ain al-Assad base in Iraq was also targeted with drones on 22 April. 

In October, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI) coalition of armed groups began attacking US bases in Iraq and Syria in solidarity with the resistance in Gaza. Following an attack that killed three US soldiers on the Jordanian–Syrian border in late January, the IRI suspended attacks on US bases but continues to target sites within Israel. 

The IRI “focused its attacks during the last period on the occupied Palestinian territories and the occupied Syrian Golan in support of the people of Gaza,” however, it is ready “for a resumption of escalation in Syria and Iraq if it senses American evasion of the decision to gradually withdraw from Iraq,” Al-Mayadeen’s sources added. 

Baghdad and Washington have recently been discussing a time frame for an end to the US combat presence in Iraq and its transition into an advisory role. 

The sources went on to say that a withdrawal from Iraq “must take place in parallel with the withdrawal from Syria.” 

Washington has expressed no intention of withdrawing its forces from Syria.