Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps: "Missile Attack Aimed at Weapon Destruction, Not US Troops"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Regarding the fact that there were zero U.S. military casualties despite a large-scale missile attack, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps explained that "the attack was not originally aimed at causing human casualties."

On the 9th (local time), Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, said about the missile attack on the U.S. military base stationed in Iraq, "The purpose was not to cause human casualties, but to destroy the enemy's weapons." This was an explanation for the light damage to U.S. forces despite dozens of missile attacks.

Earlier, on the 8th, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley stated that Iran launched missile attacks with the intent to cause human casualties, but the U.S. military was able to prevent it through their response.

After Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, was killed by a U.S. rocket attack near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on the 3rd, the possibility of military conflict between the U.S. and Iran was anticipated. Iran, which had announced large-scale retaliation, launched missile attacks on two U.S. military bases stationed in Iraq.

Iran gave prior notice to the Iraqi government several hours before the missile attack, making it a non-surprise attack despite the appearance of a surprise. Thanks to the prior notice, it is presumed that the U.S. was able to detect and prepare for Iran's attack movements in advance.

The Washington Post (WP) explained that Iran issued this stance to prevent escalation of conflict with the U.S.

In fact, such movements are detected in various forms. On the 9th, there was a rocket attack on the U.S. Green Zone in Baghdad, where the U.S. embassy is located. Following the missile attack the previous day, the continuation of rocket attacks raised the possibility of further conflict. Regarding this, the Shiite militia Hashed al-Shaabi, which has been supported by Iran, said, "The rocket attack on the Green Zone appears to be an individual response," and requested, "Please refrain from actions that could distort Hashed's reputation."

Meanwhile, President Trump mentioned on the same day the reason why Soleimani could not be eliminated, saying, "Because they tried to blow up our embassy (the U.S. embassy in Iraq)." Regarding this, foreign media reported that it is unclear whether there was unknown information about the Baghdad attack or if he was referring to the Iraqi militias surrounding U.S. forces just before Soleimani's death.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.