US hits Iran-linked sites in Syria

The United States conducted two airstrikes targeting two Iran-linked sites in eastern Syria in response to a series of attacks against American troops in Syria and in Iraq, the Pentagon said on Sunday.

The airstrikes by the US killed at least eight pro-Iran fighters in eastern Syria, according to a war monitor. The toll is "eight pro-Iran fighters dead, including at least one Syrian, and Iraqi nationals", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday.

"US military forces conducted precision strikes today on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The two strikes on Sunday targeted a training facility in Abu Kamal and a safe house in Mayadeen.

This is the third time in a span of three weeks that the US has launched attacks against Syrian locations that it alleges are linked to Iran. 

Austin said that the strikes were ordered by President Joe Biden.

"The President has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests," Austin said in the statement.

Austin also hinted at the possibility of conducting more strike in Syria. "These attacks must stop, and if they don't stop, then we won't hesitate to do what's necessary, again, to protect the
troops," Austin told reporters at a news conference in Seoul.

Surge in military strikes after Israel-Hamas conflict

Before Sunday's attacks, the US had said it targeted an Iran-linked weapons storage site in Syria on Wednesday, and on October 26 it had hit two locations in the country that it alleged were used by Iran and affiliated organizations.

According to the US, Iran-backed groups have repeatedly targeted American forces injuring dozens of personnel.

Pro-Iranian militias haveintensified their attacks against US forces in the countries amid the Israel-Hamas conflict that escalated after the October 7 attacks. 

There are about 2,500 American soldiers deployed in Iraq and some 900 are in Syria in a bit to help prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group.

mfi/msh (AFP, Reuters, dpa)