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A US contractor was killed in a drone strike in northeastern Syria on Thursday. The United States military retaliated by bombarding facilities in Syria linked to Iran. Photo/REUTERS
DAMASCUS – A contractor United States of America (US) was killed and five soldiers and one other American contractor were injured after a drone struck a coalition base facility in Syria northeast on Thursday.
The United States military did not accept this, and retaliated by bombarding facilities used by Iran’s pro-Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in northeastern Syria.
In a statement released late Thursday, the US Department of Defense said the intelligence community had determined that the drone that killed the American contractor had come from Iran.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces responded with precision airstrikes.
“The airstrikes were carried out in response to today’s attack [Kamis] as well as the recent series of attacks on coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC,” Austin said.
Overnight, videos on social media showed explosions in Deir Ez-Zor, Syria, a strategic province bordering Iraq and containing oil fields.
Iranian-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which has also been allegedly targeted by Israeli airstrikes in recent months as it is seen as an Iranian supply route.
The Syrian state news agency, SANA, did not report any drone attacks on coalition facilities. The Syria Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Qatar’s state-owned news agency reported a telephone call between its foreign minister and Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser.
