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The Pentagon is seen from the air in Washington on March 3, 2022.
CNN –
Two U.S. F-15 fighter jets carried out an airstrike on an arms depot in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
“This precision self-defense strike is in response to a series of attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by affiliates of the IRGC and the Quds Force,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he ordered today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.”
“The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary actions to protect our people and our facilities,” he added. “We warn against any escalation.”
The U.S. attack is the second time the U.S. has targeted facilities used by Iranian-backed groups in response to near-daily attacks by Iranian proxies on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. On October 26, a US F-15 and two F-16s with precision-guided munitions attacked two facilities linked to Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria.
U.S. and coalition troops have been targeted by unilateral attack drones or missile strikes at least 41 times since October 17 – most recently a multiple missile attack on U.S. and coalition troops in Shaddadi, Syria.
A U.S. official said Wednesday’s attack did not cause any casualties or damage to infrastructure.
More than 40 soldiers suffered minor injuries, including at least 20 traumatic brain injuries, in attacks before the US attack on October 26.
The US attack comes on the same day that an unmanned US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by Iran-backed Houthi forces off the coast of Yemen. The US Central Command is investigating the incident.
CNN previously reported that Iranian-backed groups are planning to step up their attacks on US forces in the Middle East, as Iran seeks to exploit the backlash in the region over US support for Israel following Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack .
Since October 7 and the increasing frequency of attacks by US troops in the region, the US has sent significant firepower to the Middle East to deter an expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and to support forces in the region.
Capabilities deployed include two carrier strike groups, each employing thousands of sailors and several guided-missile destroyers; various aircraft, including F-15 and F-16 fighters; and approximately 1,200 soldiers, including soldiers from the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries.
This story has been updated with additional details.