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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a press conference at the Pentagon last week.
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a press conference at the Pentagon last week.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Pentagon is retaliating Thursday after a drone strike killed a U.S. contractor, wounded five U.S. soldiers and wounded another contractor, the Pentagon said on Thursday. said Thursday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that sources had discovered that the drones that attacked coalition bases in Syria were made in Iran.
The Pentagon said the U.S. Central Command conducted “precision airstrikes” against targets believed to be associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
“As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary steps to protect our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing.” We will not attack our army innocently.”
A video shared on social media showed the explosion in Deir el-Zour, a Syrian province near the Iraqi border that contains an oil field. The area is controlled by an Iran-backed militia group and the Syrian army, according to the Associated Press. In recent months, the region has been hit by alleged Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged Iranian supply routes.
Thursday’s strike poses a threat to recent negotiations aimed at easing tensions across the Middle East after decades of conflict. agreed to restore the United States, raising questions about whether US influence in the region was declining.
Neither Iran nor Syria appear to have immediately acknowledged the attack.
Austin said Thursday’s drone strike followed a recent Iranian attack on coalition forces.
Iran has launched an estimated 78 attacks against US forces in Syria since January 2021, US Army General Michael “Eric” Kurilla, who heads Central Command, told the US House Armed Services Committee on Thursday. Told.
In a statement following Thursday’s airstrike, Kurilla said the Army “has expandable options in the face of additional Iranian attacks.”
“We will always take all necessary measures to protect our people,” he wrote.
This is a developing story. Please check the latest information.
NPR’s Peter Kenyon contributed to the report.
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