The airstrikes, the second set in a week, were meant to degrade Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps capabilities.
BY LAUREN C. WILLIAMS, DefenseOne,
U.S. military aircraft attacked two facilities in eastern Syria on Sunday, in retaliation for a string of attacks on American personnel in Iraq and Syria in recent months. It’s the second set of airstrikes in less than a week.
The strikes were “proportionate, precision” attacks designed to destroy the facilities and limit the capabilities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and related groups, a defense spokesperson told reporters traveling with the defense secretary in the Indo-Pacific region Monday.
The strikes destroyed a training facility and safe house near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin, respectively, while an undetermined number of militia members were present.
“Additionally, we can confirm that IRGC-affiliated militia personnel use the facility and were present at the time of the strike, though we’re unable to provide a casualty assessment at this time,” the defense spokesperson said.
Fox News was the first to report fatalities from the airstrikes.
Nearly 60 U.S. troops have been injured in a spate of attacks on bases in Iraq and Syria since October.
The U.S. military used F-15s to destroy a weapons storage facility in Syria on Nov. 8 and facilities for weapons and ammunition on Oct. 26. Separately, U.S. Central Command is investigating the shooting down of an MQ-9 surveillance drone off the coast of Yemen.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wouldn’t confirm or deny Fox News’ reports of militia casualties when asked during a joint press conference with the South Korea’s Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik on Monday. Instead, Austin emphasized the U.S. would take action to protect troops.
“We’ve seen a number of attacks against our forces here in the recent past. And we have said and will continue to say that we will take all necessary measures to protect our troops,” he said.
