the attack, the IRGC issued an official statement stating that "many terrorists" were killed and injured. Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, told Iranian media "[b]ased on the information we have received, around 40 top leaders of Daesh were killed in this attack". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization, confirmed that the headquarters of ISIL in the area was hit but announced it was unaware of the casualties. Colonel Sean Ryan, spokesperson for the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, was quoted by Jane's Defence Weekly on 17 October 2018 as saying: "[t]he assessment that we have seen so far is that there were six missiles that landed... We didn’t see any … damage from those missiles at all. I know that they [the Iranians] claim [the missiles hit their targets] but from what we’ve seen there hasn’t been any damage". Reactions : Hashim Almosawa, spokesperson for the Alnujaba Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces praised the attack, stating "Iran could have launched the rockets from Syria, but they have sent a strong and accurate message to the terrorists and those who support them that our rockets could hit any one of you", adding that "Iran has the right to retaliate and defend itself". : Syrian government made no immediate reaction to the attack. : Cmdr. Sean Robertson, spokesperson for the Department of Defense said in a statement that Iran did not notify the United States, calling the operation "reckless, unsafe and escalatory". He added "[t]he United States now has to think about putting air defense assets in Iraq to protect against rogue Iranian missiles that are being launched across Iraq to supposedly target terrorist groups". Analyses Talal Atrissi, a researcher at Al Maaref University, said that the attack had two messages: threats made by Iran will be carried out, and the sanctions won't prevent Iran from defending itself. Clément Therme of the International Institute for Strategic Studies maintains that the operation was a show of force with domestic use. Ibrahim al-Marashi, associate professor of California State University San Marcos, opines that the attack was intended to send "diplomatic signals to players both in the region and internationally". Sanam Vakil, an adjunct professor at The Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe, also interpreted the operation similarly, stating Iran "doesn't respond kind-for-kind, but a bit like whack-a-mole in another theater. It wouldn’t respond