U.S. strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria after attacks on American troops
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President Biden with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the White House in January. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by groups linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at President Biden's direction, the Pentagon announced late Thursday.
The big picture: The "precision self-defense strikes" were in "response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria" by Iran-backed groups that began on Oct. 17, per a Pentagon statement. A U.S. defense official told reporters late Thursday Iran was responsible for the attacks against American bases in Syria.
- "We don't seek to widen or escalate the crisis," the official said. "This is a decision that needs to be made in Tehran. Iran's most senior leaders need to tell their proxies to cease attacks against U.S. forces."
Of note: A senior American official who also spoke to reporters emphasized that the U.S. did not coordinate the air strikes in Syria in advance with Israel. "These strikes have nothing to do with Israel or the conflict in Gaza," the official said.
- Iran's Foreign Minster Hossein Amirabdollahian said at the UN earlier on Thursday that if Israel's war against Hamas in retaliation for the group's Oct. 7 terrorist attacks continued, the U.S. "will not be spared from this fire."
Zoom in: A senior U.S. defense official told reporters the strikes were on two facilities near Abu Kamal on the Syria-Iraq border.
- The strikes were conducted with F16 jets, which used precision-guided munitions to bomb a weapons storage and an ammunition storage that belong to pro-Iranian militias in Syria, per a senior U.S. official.
What they're saying: "As a result of these attacks, one U.S. citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident while sheltering in place; 21 U.S. personnel suffered from minor injuries, but all have since returned to duty," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
- Biden directed the action "to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," per Austin.
- "The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop," he added.
- "Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them. If attacks by Iran's proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people."
Zoom out: Former President Trump announced the withdrawal of thousands of American troops from Syria in 2019 following the defeat of ISIS, but some 900 remain in the country.
- Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, said during congressional testimony in March that Iranian proxies were believed to be behind 78 attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria since January 2021.
- There was no immediate response from Iranian officials to the U.S. announcement.
Flashback... Biden: U.S. will "act forcefully" to protect American troops in Syria
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
