LONDON — US Central Command announced new strikes against Iran-linked militants Syria on Tuesday in response to recent attacks on American workers in the country.
“Weapons storage and logistics headquarters facilities of an Iranian-backed militia group” were targeted by CENTCOM in a statement, “in response to a missile attack on US personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi.”
The rocket attack on the Shaddadi base caused no damage or casualties, CENTCOM said.
“These strikes will reduce the ability of Iranian-backed groups to plan and launch future attacks against US and coalition forces in the region,” the CENTCOM statement continued.
This file photo shows US forces at a damaged oil extraction facility outside Rumaylan, in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled Hasakeh province, on October 28, 2024.
Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images
According to CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla, American forces “have made it clear that attacks on US personnel, partner forces and facilities will not be tolerated and that we retain the right to defend ourselves.”
CENTCOM, he added, “will aggressively pursue any threat to US forces, allies, partners and regional security.”
The US has about 900 troops in Syria as part of the coalition effort against Islamic State in the region.
American positions in Syria and Iraq are regularly attacked by Iranian-backed local militant groups. Such strikes have become more common since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and Israel’s multi-front war against Tehran-linked groups in the Middle East.
Tuesday’s retaliatory strikes came a day after CENTCOM announced strikes against nine targets “at two locations in Syria associated with Iranian groups” in response to attacks on US personnel.
