The strikes on two locations linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps came in retaliation for drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.
The al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria is seen on Oct. 22, 2018. The Pentagon says the U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to a senior U.S. military official, the precision strikes were carried out near Boukamal by two F-16 fighter jets, and they struck weapons and ammunition storage areas that were connected to the IRGC. The official said there had been Iranian-aligned militia and IRGC personnel on the base and no civilians, but the U.S. does not have any information yet on casualties or an assessment of damage. The official would not say how many munitions were launched by the F-16s.
The Biden administration has not accused Iran of having a direct role in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and has said it appears so far that Tehran was not aware of it beforehand. But the U.S. has noted that Iran has long supported Hamas and has raised concerns that Iran and its proxies could turn the conflict into a wider war.
"I think we've been crystal clear that we maintain the inherent right of defending our troops and we will take all necessary measures to protect our forces and our interests overseas," he told reporters during a Pentagon briefing earlier in the day. The U.S., including the Pentagon, has repeatedly said any strike response by America would be directly tied to the attacks on the troops, and not connected to the war between Israel and Hamas. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on U.S. bases are routine.
U.S. officials have not publicly tied the recent string of attacks in Syria and Iraq to the violence in Gaza, but Iranian officials have openly criticized the U.S. for providing weapons to Israel that have been used to strike Gaza, resulting in civilian death.
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Oil prices climb after U.S. launches strikes on targets in eastern Syria linked to IranBarbara Kollmeyer is based in Madrid, where she leads MarketWatch's pre-markets coverage of financial markets and writes the Need to Know column. She has worked in London and Los Angeles for MarketWatch previously. Follow her on Twitter bkollmeyer.
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US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troopsThe Pentagon says the U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
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US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troopsThe Pentagon says the U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes come in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.
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US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troopsThe Pentagon says the U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
Read more »
US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on US troopsThe Pentagon says the U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Read more »