U.S. Strike Iran-linked Facilities in Syria, According to Pentagon

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Photo: Yonhap News

As the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas escalates, tensions in the Middle East are rising, with the U.S. striking an Iran-linked military facility in eastern Syria.

According to AFP and Reuters, on the 8th (local time), U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that U.S. fighter jets had struck a facility in eastern Syria used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its subordinate units.

Secretary Austin explained, “In this airstrike, two F-15 fighter jets targeted a weapons storage facility, which was in response to recent attacks on U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria.”

On the same day, Israel reportedly struck a Hezbollah facility near the Syrian capital of Damascus, according to AFP and Xinhua News Agency. Hezbollah is a pro-Iranian Shia militant group based in Lebanon.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, “Israel struck Hezbollah bases near Aqraba and Sayyida Zeinab, killing three non-Syrian pro-Iranian militants.”

The organization added a military airport in Aqraba, about 6 miles west of Damascus International Airport.

Israel also reportedly struck a radar base in southern Syria’s Sweida, and the Syrian military activated its air defense system to counter the attack, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syrian state media also reported that Israel had struck southern Syrian military facilities, causing material damage.

The state-run SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying, “At around 10:50 p.m., Israeli enemies launched an airstrike targeting some military bases in the southern region from the direction of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon.”

Israel, at war with Hamas, which Iran supports, is also engaged in combat with Lebanon’s Hezbollah to contain Iran’s involvement.

Israel is also conducting retaliatory airstrikes against rocket attacks from Syria, which is also under the control of a pro-Iranian regime. It has preemptively attacked Damascus and Aleppo airports several times, increasing concerns about an escalation.

Since the outbreak of war on May 7th due to a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, attacks targeting U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East have increased, heightening tensions.

Earlier in the day, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, supported by Iran, shot down a U.S. MQ-9 ‘Reaper’ drone over Yemeni waters.

Dana Stroul, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that there have been 41 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since May 17th.

On May 17th, there were two attempted drone attacks targeting U.S. bases in western and northern Iraq, marking the first attacks on U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East since the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel.

Deputy Secretary Stroul stated, “We will not hesitate to take additional measures as necessary to protect our citizens in response to attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria by Iran and Iran-supported forces.”

By. Hwang Soo Min