The Pentagon has said that the US forces carried out air strikes on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The attacks were in retaliation for drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region last week.
The strikes were ordered by U.S. President Joe Biden, the Pentagon said, adding that the U.S. will take additional measures if attacks by Iran's proxies continue.
A senior US military official said the air strikes took place at roughly 4:30 a.m. on Friday in Syria (0130 GMT) near Abu Kamal, a Syrian town on the border with Iraq. Two F-16 fighter jets using precision munitions to strike weapons and ammunition storage areas connected to the IRGC. Though there is no information yet about the casualties, the US official clarified that there had been Iranian-aligned militia and IRGC personnel on the base but no civilians.
Another senior defence official told The Associated Press that the sites were chosen because they stored the kind the munitions used by the IRGC against the US forces.
A statement by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin read: "These precision self-defence strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17."
"These Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop," Austin said. He added that Biden directed the narrowly tailored strikes to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests. He added that the operation was separate and distinct from Israel's war against Hamas.
Austin added that the "F-16 airstrikes will have a significant impact on the ability of Iranian proxy groups to continue to attack U.S. forces." He did not name the groups targeted, stating that they "could have different names, but the U.S. holds Tehran responsible for funding, arming, equipping and directing the proxies".
According to the Pentagon, there have now been at least 19 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, including three new ones on Thursday. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 U.S. personnel were injured in two of those assaults that used drones to target al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria. While the injured personnel returned to duty, a contractor suffered a cardiac arrest and died while seeking shelter from a possible drone attack.
Biden had earlier warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against targeting the U.S. personnel in the Middle East, the White House said earlier on Thursday. The officials at the Pentagon and the White House too made it clear for the past week that the U.S. would respond and "it would be at the time and place of our choosing."
"I think we've been crystal clear that we maintain the inherent right of defending our troops and we will take all necessary measures to protect our forces and our interests overseas," Ryder told reporters during a Pentagon briefing.
(With inputs from agencies)
