The U.S. conducted airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups in Syria on Nov. 11 in response to fresh spate of attacks on American personnel, the U.S. military announced.
The U.S. military struck nine targets in two locations in Syria following “several attacks on U.S. personnel in Syria over the last 24 hours,” U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement.
CENTCOM’s release was the first time the U.S. military has acknowledged the recent attacks on American forces by the Iranian-supported militias.
Providing additional details, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder told reporters Nov. 12. that U.S. troops were attacked twice in Syria at the Mission Support Site Green Village in northeast Syria on Nov. 10. He said there were no U.S. injuries as a result of the attacks.
“One attack consisted of a UAV. The second was indirect fire comprised of two rockets,” Ryder said. “We are going to protect our forces. We’re going to take the necessary steps to send a message, but importantly, as we’ve said before, we will reserve the right to respond in a time and place of our choosing.”
Some 900 U.S. troops are in Syria as part of the campaign to work with local partners to defeat the remnants of the Islamic State group. U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have come under dozens of attacks from Iranian-backed militias, which has hindered U.S. troops’ ability to conduct operations against Islamic State militants.
“These strikes will degrade the Iranian-backed groups’ ability to plan and launch future attacks on U.S. and coalition forces who are in the region to conduct defeat-ISIS operations,” Ryder said.
The U.S.-backed coalition that is fighting the Islamic State group plans to wind up its operation by September 2025. At that point, the U.S. is planning to transition to a bilateral security arrangement with Iraq, where the U.S. currently has some 2,500 troops.
That arrangement would allow the U.S. to support its presence in Syria, where the U.S. works with local partner forces.
It remains to be seen what deployments President-elect Donald Trump might support. Trump wanted to pull all U.S. troops from Syria during his previous term in office before reversing course.
“Our message is clear. Attacks against U.S. and coalition partners in the region will not be tolerated,” CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla said in a statement on the strikes. “We will continue to take every step necessary to protect our personnel and coalition partners and respond to reckless attacks.”