US Air Force F-15s Strike Iranian Proxy Facility In Eastern Syria
The U.S. Department of Defense announced late on Wednesday that two Air Force F-15s had conducted an airstrike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran-backed groups that have been attacking U.S. bases in the region.
In a statement, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the “self-defense strike” on a weapons storage facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated militias was directed by President Joe Biden.
“This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests”, said Austin, warning that the U.S. was fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect American personnel and facilities conducting counter-Islamic State missions in Iraq and Syria.
North Press Agency, a Syrian news agency operating in the area, reports that the airstrike targeted several sites used by the IRGC in the city of Deir-ez-Zor.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on November 7 that as of Monday, Iran-backed groups had conducted 40 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since October 7. 22 of the attacks were in Iraq, with the remaining 18 in Syria.
Singh denied that there had been a significant increase in the attacks despite a previous retaliatory airstrike on October 26, or that the United States was hesitant in responding. “We don’t have to necessarily be tit-for-tat every single time. We are incredibly strategic about when we decide to take kinetic action, and you saw that on October 26th when we did hit key infrastructure nodes that these IRGC-backed groups use.”
Also on Wednesday, Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 Reaper over the Red Sea. While U.S. Central Command or the Department of Defense have yet to officially comment on the claim, the loss of the drone was confirmed by Department of Defense officials to Air and Space Forces Magazine, with the officials identifying the Reaper as having been operated by the U.S. Air Force.
Following the start of Israel’s war with Hamas on October 7, the Houthis have used Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and one-way attack drones in attempted attacks on Israel. The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Carney shot down four Houthi cruise missiles and 15 UAVs in the northern Red Sea headed for Israel on October 19, while Israel announced that it had intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile with its Arrow 2 ballistic missile defense system on October 31, with two cruise missiles intercepted by Israeli F-35Is.