The United States carried out strikes against two Iran-linked sites in Syria on Sunday in response to attacks on American forces, the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, said.
It is the third time in less than three weeks that the US military has targeted locations in Syria it said were tied to Iran, which supports armed groups that Washington blames for a spike in attacks on its forces in the Middle East.
“US military forces conducted precision strikes today on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Austin said in a statement.
“The strikes were conducted against a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Albu Kamal and Mayadeen, respectively.”
“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,” he continued.
This is while the Pentagon announced at least 46 American troops have been injured in Iraq and Syria in attacks by Iranian-backed militia during the past one month.
This number is significantly higher than the last official figure (around 20), announced a fortnight ago.
