9 killed in US airstrike in Syria in response to attacks by Iranian-backed militias

Nine people affiliated with Iran-backed groups in Syria were killed in airstrike carried out by the US on the eastern city of Deir el-Zor on Thursday. “Nine people working for Tehran-backed groups were killed in US strikes on sites used by pro-Iran groups,” a report by AFP quoted Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as saying. Meanwhile, the Pentagon said the US carried out an airstrike on a weapons warehouse in eastern Syria which was used by Iranian-based militias, in retaliation for what has been a growing number of attacks on the bases housing American troops in the region for the past several weeks. US officials said, two of F-15 fighter jets dropped multiple bombs on a weapons storage facility near Maysulun in Deir el-Zor that was known to be used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. “The President has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. In a call with reporters, a military officla said there were people seen at the warehouse during the day as the US military watched the site for hours, but the number decreased to about “a couple” overnight when the strike took place. The official further said the strike triggered secondary explosions, indicating the presences of weapons, but the US believes that no civilians were killed and any people at the warehouse were tied to the Revolutionary Guard or militia groups. The strike was aimed at “disrupting and degrading the capabilities of groups directly responsible for attacking US forces in the region” by specifically targeting facilities associated with the Revolutionary Guard, a senior defence official told on a call. The defence official also said the precision strike was deliberate and designed not to escalate the conflict in the region. The military official said a deconfliction phone line linking US military personnel to Russian forces in Syria was used to let them know about the attack. This is the second time in less than two weeks that the US has bombed facilities used by the militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which US officials say have carried out at least 40 such attacks since October 17. With inputs from AP and AFP