- The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Monday the attack hit a training area at the al-Omar base in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour province
An Iran-backed militia in Syria says its fighters are responsible for a deadly attack on a US troops base in the east of the country. It was the first since Biden approved a plan targeting Tehran-backed groups in the Middle East.
The U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Monday the attack hit a training area at the al-Omar base in Syria's eastern Deir el-Zour province, where the force's commandos are trained. No casualties were reported among U.S. troops.
The new escalation in hostilities comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to the region, his fifth visit since Hamas's brutal attack on Israel on October 7.
An umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq released a video claiming responsibility for the attack and showing them launching a drone from an unspecified location.
In late January, a drone strike by the same group killed three US soldiers and injured dozens more on a desert base in Jordan. The U.S. military launched dozens of retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militant groups in western Iraq and eastern Syria, and also hit the Houthis in Yemen.
This photo was released by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) on Sunday. February 4, 2024 shows an RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft returning to base in Cyprus after attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen
The SDF initially accused “Syrian regime-backed mercenaries” of carrying out Sunday's attack, but in a second statement blamed “Iran-backed militias” after investigating the attack.
The umbrella organization has launched dozens of drone strikes on US military bases and troops in Iraq and Syria and called for the withdrawal of American soldiers from both countries.
Rights said Sunday's attack killed at least seven SDF fighters and wounded at least 18 others, some in critical condition.
The attack late Sunday came two days after the U.S. military carried out strikes against Iran-linked militant targets in Syria and Iraq.
The SDF said they had the right to respond to the attack.
The U.S. military said it fired four anti-ship missiles on Sunday that were aimed at ships in the Red Sea from areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In a statement early Monday, U.S. Central Command said the attacks were in self-defense and came after forces determined the missiles “posed an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.”
Sunday's attacks came a day after the United States and Britain launched a second wave of strikes against the Houthis, aimed at hampering the Iran-backed group's ability to attack ships in the Red Sea. The US and Britain said they hit 36 Houthi targets.