US hits Iran-linked sites in eastern Syria

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. (Photo/Reuters)

The United States carried out strikes against two Iran-linked sites in Syria in response to attacks on American forces, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"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 on Sunday.

"The strikes were conducted against a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Albu Kamal and Mayadeen, respectively," he said.

The United States targeted a Tehran-linked weapons storage site in Syria on Wednesday, and also hit two facilities in the country on October 26 that it said were used by Iran and affiliated organisations.

It is Washington's assessment that none of the previous strikes resulted in casualties.

The United States says the strikes are aimed at deterring attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria -- more than 45 since October 17 -- that have wounded dozens of US personnel.

Criticism against Washington

The surge in attacks on US troops in recent weeks is linked to the Israeli war on Gaza, which began when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on October 7.

Israel's military responded with a relentless air, land and naval assault on Gaza that the Palestinian health ministry in the besieged enclave said has killed more than 11,100 people.

The Israeli war on Gaza has had repercussions for the United States outside of Iraq and Syria, with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen saying Wednesday that they shot down a US drone that was "carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities in Yemeni territorial waters as part of American military support" for Israel.

Senior officials from the United States have confirmed that one of the country's drones was downed.

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Source: TRT