Lolita C. Baldor | USA TODAY
The US is attacking two Syrian facilities following attacks by an Iranian-backed militia
US President Joe Biden ordered strikes on two facilities in Syria following attacks on US troops last week, the Pentagon said.
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WASHINGTON – The United States carried out an airstrike on an arms depot in eastern Syria used by Iran-backed militias in retaliation for several weeks of increasing attacks on bases hosting U.S. troops in the region, the Pentagon said .
In Wednesday’s attack, two U.S. F-15 fighter jets dropped multiple bombs on an arms depot near Maysulun in Deir el-Zour that was known to be used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said.
“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,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Explanation.
A military official told reporters in a call that people were seen at the warehouse during the day while the U.S. military monitored the site for hours, but the number dropped to about “a few” overnight when the attack occurred. The official said the attack triggered secondary explosions, suggesting the presence of weapons, but the US believes no civilians were killed and all people in the warehouse were linked to the Revolutionary Guard or militia groups.
The attack, said a senior defense official who also took part in the call, was aimed at “disrupting and weakening the capabilities of groups directly responsible for attacks on U.S. forces in the region” by specifically targeting facilities were taken who were connected to the Revolutionary Guard. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an assessment of the strike.
The precision strike, the defense official said, was deliberate and designed not to escalate the conflict in the region. The military official said a deconfliction phone line connecting U.S. military personnel with Russian forces in Syria was used to inform them of the attack.
This is the second time in less than two weeks that the U.S. has bombed facilities used by militant groups, many of which operate under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which U.S. officials said has been active since Oct. 17 has carried out at least 40 such attacks.
Related After attacks on American troops, the US is attacking Iranian-backed facilities in Syria