US targets Iranian-backed groups in Syria in response to rocket attack

The United States military has launched another round of air strikes in Syria, targeting Iranian-aligned targets following a recent rocket attack directed at US forces stationed at a base in northeastern Hasakah province, Syria.

On November 13, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), overseeing US forces in the Middle East, confirmed the strikes but did not specify the number of air strikes conducted or disclose the exact identity of the targets, Caliber.Az reports.

CENTCOM described the sites hit as the Iranian-aligned “group’s weapons storage and logistics headquarters.”

The attacks followed an incident where unidentified fighters fired rockets at US Patrol Base Shaddadi in northeastern Syria. The assault resulted in no damage to the base or injuries to US personnel or “partner forces,” CENTCOM reported.

A day earlier, on November 12, CENTCOM also announced strikes against Iranian-backed groups, stating that nine targets at two separate locations in Syria had been hit within the previous 24 hours.

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— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 13, 2024

“US Central Command, alongside our regional partners, will aggressively pursue any threat to US forces, allies, partners, and security in the region,” CENTCOM Commander Michael Erik Kurilla declared in a statement.

There are roughly 900 US troops stationed in eastern Syria and another 2,500 in neighbouring Iraq. Their mission remains focused on preventing a resurgence of ISIL (ISIS), which had captured large territories across Syria and Iraq in 2014 before being defeated militarily.

On November 11, CENTCOM’s operations reportedly led to the deaths of four Syrian members of Iranian-backed armed groups and wounded 10 others, with some suffering severe injuries. These details were provided by the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which mentioned the Al Mayadeen area in Deir Az Zor countryside as the location of the strikes. CENTCOM did not confirm the exact sites.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump ordered a full withdrawal of US forces from Syria, claiming ISIL had been defeated. However, the US military later announced that a contingent would remain in the country, viewed by some as a check against both ISIL and Iran’s expanding influence in the region.

Since the outbreak of war in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Iran groups have escalated assaults on US forces in Iraq and Syria, in protest of Washington’s support for Israel. The United States has frequently conducted retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed groups in response to these attacks.

By Tamilla Hasanova