US carries out Syria strikes after American contractor killed, 5 troops wounded in drone attack
- US says contractor killed, others wounded after one-way attack drone of Iranian origin struck a coalition base in northeast Syria
- President Joe Biden authorised strikes on facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
The US military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria on Thursday night against Iran-aligned groups whom it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor, wounded another and also hurt five US troops, the Pentagon said.
Both the attack on US personnel and the retaliation were disclosed by the Pentagon at the same time late on Thursday.
The attack against US personnel took place at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1.38pm on Thursday, it said.
The US intelligence community assessed that the one-way attack drone was Iranian in origin, the military said, a conclusion that could further aggravate already strained relations between Washington and Tehran.
Although US forces stationed in Syria have been targeted by drones before, fatalities are extremely rare.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the retaliatory strikes were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden and targeted facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).