(GoRealNewsNow.com) – BREAKING NOW: A suspected Iranian drone strike killed a U.S. contractor and injured six other Americans in northeast Syria.
In response, the U.S. carried out airstrikes on locations in Syria affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Activists say at least four people died in the U.S. bombing.
Analysts indicate these recent events might disrupt ongoing efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East, where rival powers have been working toward détente after years of conflict.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that American intelligence determined the drone was of Iranian origin.
The drone struck a coalition base in Hasaka, a city in northeast Syria, injuring five American service members and a U.S. contractor.
Austin explained that the U.S. Armed Forces strikes were in response to this drone attack and a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria.
Iran allegedly uses proxy forces throughout the Middle East to counter the U.S. and Israel.
The U.S. has had forces in northeast Syria since 2015, deployed initially to fight the Islamic State group. About 900 U.S. troops remain there, working alongside Kurdish-led forces that control around a third of Syria.
The U.S. airstrikes targeted three towns in eastern Syria.
Videos on social media appeared to show explosions in Deir el-Zour, a strategic province near Iraq and home to oil fields. Iranian-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control this area, which has also experienced suspected Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian supply routes.
A defense official reported that F-15 fighter jets from al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar conducted the U.S. counterstrikes. Activist group Deir Ezzor 24 said the American strikes killed four people and wounded others, including Iraqis.
What is your reaction to the attack on American forces in Syria by an Iranian drone? Should the U.S. launch additional retaliatory military strikes, in your opinion? Share your view by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.
