The US struck a facility used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-backed militias in the Deir Ezzor region of eastern Syria on Wednesday night in response to repeated recent rocket and drone attacks against US forces in Syria and Iraq.
"Following a series of attacks against US persons in Iraq and Syria, US Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces conducted an airstrike against a facility in Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups," said CENTCOM. "We will take all necessary measures to defend our people against those who are responsible for the attacks and will respond at a time and place of our choosing."
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the strike was conducted by two US F-15s and targeted a weapons storage facility.
"This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates. The president has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," said Austin.
"The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. We urge against any escalation. US personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria."
Deaths and injuries reported in airstrike
The Syrian Sada AlSharqieh news outlet reported that deaths and injuries were caused in the airstrike and that it targeted a site near the Deir Ezzor military airport. A local news site, Naher Media, reported that at least ten Iranian and Iran-backed militants were killed or injured in the strike.
Shortly after the airstrike, Iran-backed militias in Iraq said that they had launched two drones at the Harir airbase in northern Iraq, which hosts US forces.
Additionally, after the airstrike, a number of rockets were fired at a US base in the al-Omar oil field and a base in the Conoco gas field, both in eastern Syria, according to Al-Mayadeen TV, a network affiliated with Iran's "Axis of Resistance."
Iran-backed militias throughout the region have intensified attacks on US forces in the weeks since the outbreak of the war between Hamas and Israel on October 7.
On Wednesday night, the Iran-backed Houthi militia said that it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen. Unnamed US officials confirmed the report to several US media outlets.