ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US forces on Tuesday launched airstrikes targeting facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria, a military spokesman said in a statement.
The “precision airstrikes” in Deir ez-Zor province “targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) Communication Director Joe Buccino said in a statement.
The strikes were “proportionate, deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties,” Buccino added without disclosing casualty figures from the strikes.
Syria did not immediately acknowledge the attack.
Iran on Wednesday afternoon called on the US to leave Syria “immediately,” while deeming the attack a “violation of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity” of the war-torn country.
The reprisal attack on militias comes after drones, allegedly launched by Iran-backed militias, targeted a US military base in Syria last week without causing casualties.
“We will take appropriate measures to protect our forces,” the coalition forces said at the time.
There has been at least five drone and rocket attacks on bases housing US troops in Syria since the start of the year, according to data compiled by Rudaw English.
The oil-rich Deir ez-Zor is a strategic province that borders Iraq and is controlled by Iran-backed militias and Syrian forces, who are often targeted by Israeli strikes.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general was killed while “on a mission” in Syria, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday without providing further details.
Updated at 2:45 pm
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