US fighter jets strike IRGC facilities in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – US fighter jets launched on Friday dawn airstrikes against two bases in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops (IRGC), the Pentagon announced on Friday.
“At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups,” said Lloyd Austin, US secretary of Defense in a release.
The airstrikes were conducted by two F-16 fighter jets using precision munitions and took place near the town of Abu Kamal on the Syrian-Iraqi border and struck weapons and ammunition facilities used by the IRGC.
The airstrikes came as a retaliation against recent attacks by the Iranian-backed militias on US military bases in both Syria and Iraq, according to the Pentagon.
“These precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17,” Austin added.
Austin pointed out that as a result of the attacks launched by Iranian-backed militias, one US citizen contractor died from a cardiac incident and 21 US personnel suffered from minor injuries.
During the past week, the Iranian-backed militias launched about 19 attacks on US and US-led Global Coalition troops in Syria and Iraq.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that about 900 US troops have deployed or are in the process of going to the Middle East region, including those associated with the air defense systems. This came amid escalation of attacks against US bases in Syria and Iraq, and also in the wake of tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.