In a move directed by President Biden, U.S. military forces executed a targeted self-defense strike today in eastern Syria.
The strike in eastern Syria was carried out at President Joe Biden’s direction, Austin said in a statement.
“This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates,” Austin said.
The strike was in Maysulun, Syria, a senior defense official said. The official could not say whether there were casualties on the ground, but said the U.S. is “very certain this did not involve civilian loss.”
The target was essentially a warehouse that U.S. officials believe was storing ammunition, the senior defense official said. There were secondary explosions after the strike, indicating the presence of explosives, the official said.
The message to Iran is “we want you to direct your proxies and militia groups to stop attacking us,” the senior defense official said.
“We seek to convey a clear message to Iran, that we hold it accountable for the attacks on U.S. forces,” the official added. “And we expect Iran to take measures to direct its proxies to stop.”
It’s the second time in recent weeks that the U.S. has attacked targets in Syria.
