In reaction to attacks against American personnel, US airplanes launched a raid on a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria that was connected to Iran on Wednesday, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
It is the second time in about two weeks that the US has struck a Syrian location it claimed was connected to Iran. Washington accuses Iran of supporting a number of armed groups and is to blame for an increase in attacks on US soldiers in the Middle East.
While the US is working to prevent Iran and its allies from escalating the Israel-Hamas conflict into a regional war, Washington and Tehran could clash as a result of the ongoing attacks and counterattacks.
“US military forces conducted a self-defense strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups. This strike was conducted by two US F-15s against a weapons storage facility,” Austin said in a statement.
“This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates,” Austin said, adding that the United States “is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities.”
