US military attacks two Syrian facilities, claims Iran link
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The news: The US military has carried out strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria it says were used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Bloomberg reports. The strikes came in response to alleged attacks on American troops in the region earlier this month.
The numbers: Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said President Joe Biden had ordered the strikes after offensives beginning on 17 October killed one US contractor and 21 military personnel.
The context: The US previously said it would deploy 900 troops to the Middle East as regional tensions rise amid the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, but a US official stressed that none of those were bound for Israel. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin maintained the strikes in Syria were unrelated to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
What they said: "These narrowly tailored strikes in self-defence were intended solely to protect and defend US personnel in Iraq and Syria," Austin said.
"If attacks by Iran’s proxies against US forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people."
The source: Bloomberg
