Missiles rained down on an American base in eastern Syria yesterday morning, a day after the US launched air strikes against Iran-backed militia bases in retaliation for a deadly drone attack.
he base at Al-Omar oil field was hit by a salvo of missiles hours after the Pentagon said it had carried out “precision air strikes” against facilities in the area used by groups affiliated to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The US struck after it concluded that an Iranian drone had been used to attack a US base near Hassakeh, in north-east Syria, on Thursday, killing a US contractor and wounding five US troops and another contractor.
Yesterday’s retaliatory attack further raised tensions in the region as the White House sought to limit the prospect of hostilities escalating. John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, said the US was not seeking conflict with Iran, but added that Tehran should not support attacks on American facilities.
The US strikes in Syria were aimed at protecting American personnel in the country, where Islamic State and Iran-backed militants remain a threat, he told CNN yesterday.
Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, had earlier issued a statement that read: “No group will strike our troops with impunity.”
Lethal attacks on American personnel in Syria are rare. In January three drones attacked the US base at Tanf in eastern Syria, injuring two Syrian fighters. While a little-known militia claimed responsibility for the attack, analysts concluded it was probably a front group that gave the IRGC plausible deniability.