New Iranian rockets attacked U.S. bases in Syria, injuring U.S. forces.
A senior U.S. Defense official said two different attacks in Deir Ezzor by Iranian proxy forces. One of the attacks included a rocket, and the other had several Iranian drones. The number of causalities is not yet clear. However, sources say many could be severe.
The attacks come after an American contractor died from a suspected Iranian drone that hit and injured six service members in northeast Syria.
U.S. intelligence has confirmed that the drone that struck the base was Iranian. The injured U.S. men are reportedly in stable condition and have been transported to a hospital in Germany.
For years, the U.S. has aided the Syrian Free Army in eastern Syria, which many argue has become a proxy war between the U.S. and Iran.
On Thursday, the U.S. military conducted several air strikes in Syria, killing eight Iranians. A day before, Iranian forces conducted a drone strike on a coalition base that killed one American.
According to the Defense Department, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps crashed a UAV into a building in northeast Syria, killing one U.S. contractor. The attack also injured five U.S. service members and another U.S. contractor.
A U.S. airstrike at an arms depot in Harabesh left six Iranian-backed fighters dead. A second U.S. bombing at a post near the town of Mayadeen killed another two soldiers.
According to the Pentagon, U.S. intelligence assessed the UAV that crashed into a coalition base was of Iranian origin, so President Joe Biden gave the military permission to retaliate.