American warplanes attacked two sites in Syria that U.S. officials said were linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the United States struck back after a string of attacks on its forces in the Middle East.
The Associated Press, citing a senior military official, reported Friday that the United States sent two Air Force F-16 fighters to areas near Boukamal in eastern Syria where weapons and ammunition were stored.
No damage assessment was provided.
The official said members of militia groups supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been using the base.
The sites were picked because they contain the types of drones and missiles used against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, the report said.
To date, 19 attacks have taken place against U.S. forces since Oct. 17, according to the Pentagon.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 Americans were injured in attacks on al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.
According to The New York Times, the two F-16s dropped more than 30 precision-guided bombs on the two targets. The F-16s were supported by MQ-9 drones.
Officials said the site in Abu Kamal, Syria, was active Thursday, but it was unknown if anyone was hurt or killed in the U.S. strike.
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“The U.S. sent a message tonight,” Mick Mulroy, a former defense official, said in a statement.
“We will directly respond against Iran, and specifically the IRGC, if they continue to attack our military positions and personnel in Iraq and Syria,” he said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin framed the strikes as a response intended to end attacks on U.S. forces and not part of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“These narrowly tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria,” he said in a statement.
“The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against U.S. forces are unacceptable and must stop,” Austin said.
“Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them. If attacks by Iran’s proxies against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people,” he said.
The statement noted that in addition to the injuries suffered by U.S. troops, one contractor died of a heart attack while seeking shelter.
U.S. forces have struck back before.
In March, F-15 fighters struck targets used by Iran-supported militia groups after an attack on a base in Syria killed one contractor and wounded seven Americans, according to Stars and Stripes.
