US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria amid fears Israel-Hamas war could escalate

 

Defence secretary says strikes in response to attacks on US troops and warns others against triggering ‘broader regional conflict’

The US military has launched airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), signalling a new willingness in Washington to engage its forces directly in the crisis in the Middle East.

The strikes, which the Pentagon said hit a weapons storage facility and an ammunition storage facility used by the IRGC and militia it backs, were the first such US military intervention since war broke out between Hamas and Israel on 7 October.

US facilities in Iraq and Syria have been hit by a series of low-level attacks by drones and rockets over the past 10 days that have been claimed by Iran-backed militia, amid growing fears that the Hamas-Israel war could escalate into a regional conflict.

The attacks have injured at least 24 US servicemen and the death of one civilian contractor. There were three such attacks on Thursday, striking two US bases in Syria and one in western Iraq.

Read more from source - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/27/us-strikes-iran-linked-sites-in-syria-amid-fears-israel-hamas-war-could-escalate