The U.S. navy carried out a number of airstrikes in Syria on Thursday in response to a drone strike Iranian forces performed earlier within the day on a coalition base that killed one American.
The Protection Division mentioned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps crashed a UAV right into a constructing close to Hasakah in northeast Syria at roughly 1:38 p.m. native time, leaving one U.S. contractor lifeless. The assault additionally wounded 5 U.S. service members and one other U.S. contractor.
U.S. intelligence assessed the UAV and decided it to be of Iranian origin — so President Biden approved the navy to retaliate, the Pentagon mentioned.
“At the direction of President Biden, I authorized U.S. Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC),” mentioned Secretary of Protection Lloyd J. Austin III. “The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC.”
BIDEN WARNED AS RUSSIA, CHINA FLEX MUSCLE IN MIDDLE EAST: ‘ALLIES MATTER’
Three service members and the U.S. contractor had been medically evacuated to Coalition medical amenities in Iraq whereas the opposite two wounded service members had been handled on-site.
“As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing,” Secretary Austin continued. “No group will strike our troops with impunity.”
CHINA DENIES HIDDEN MOTIVES AFTER BROKERING TALKS BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA, IRAN
He added: “Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the contractor who was killed and with those who were wounded in the attack earlier today.”
The Pentagon mentioned the U.S. took “proportionate and deliberate action” that restricted the chance of escalation in its focused response.
The U.S. has roughly 900 troops stationed in Syria.
Learn the complete article here
