US President Joe Biden has ordered air strikes in eastern Syria. Areas used by militia groups supported by the Revolutionary Guard of Iran have been targeted, just over a week after a missile attack on a military base in the north-east of the country that hosts US troops. This was reported by the central command of the US army, stating that the attacks “have taken proportionate and deliberate action aimed at limiting the risk of escalation and minimizing the risk of casualties”. No precise targets have been identified, nor have any casualty accounts been provided.
“Today’s attacks were necessary to protect and defend US personnel,” US Central Command spokesman Colonel Joe Buccino said, adding that the raids were in response to an August 15 attack on US forces, in which drones allegedly launched by Iranian-backed militias have targeted the al-Tanf barracks used by US forces. The US central command then described the assault as “zero casualties and no damage”. The affected province, Deir Ez-Zor, is a strategic area that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iranian-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area and have often been the target of Israeli warplanes in previous attacks. US forces entered Syria in 2015, supporting Allied forces in their fight against the Islamic State group.