US Vows to Protect Personnel in Syria after Deadly Attack

A view of the al-Tanf base in Syria. (Reuters file photo)
A view of the al-Tanf base in Syria. (Reuters file photo)
TT
20

US Vows to Protect Personnel in Syria after Deadly Attack

A view of the al-Tanf base in Syria. (Reuters file photo)
A view of the al-Tanf base in Syria. (Reuters file photo)

The United States on Friday said it would protect its personnel in Syria after the US military carried out air strikes against Iran-backed forces in retaliation for an attack that killed an American contractor and wounded five US troops.

Just a day after the deadly attack on US personnel in Syria, which Washington blamed on a drone of Iranian origin, sources said a US base in Syria's northeast was targeted with a new missile attack. US officials said there were no US casualties in the incident on Friday.

The latest violence could further aggravate already strained relations between Washington and Tehran amid stalled efforts to revive a nuclear deal and Iran's military support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We're going to work to protect our people and our facilities as best we can. It's a dangerous environment," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on CNN.

Although US forces stationed in Syria have been targeted by drones before, fatalities are rare.

The Pentagon said the US strikes by F-15 jets on Thursday targeted facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the war in Syria, said the US strikes had killed eight pro-Iranian fighters in Syria.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the toll.

Iran's state Press TV, which said no Iranian had been killed in the attack, quoted local sources as denying the target was an Iran-aligned military post, but that a rural development center and a grain center near a military airport had been hit.

"We will always take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing," US Army General Erik Kurilla, who oversees American troops in the Middle East, said in a statement.

The US strikes were in response to an attack earlier on Thursday by a drone against US personnel at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria.

Three service members and a contractor required medical evacuation to Iraq, where the US-led coalition battling the remnants of ISIS has medical facilities, the Pentagon said.

The other two wounded American troops were treated at the base, it said.

On Friday, the Pentagon said the injured personnel were in stable condition.

New attack ‘ineffective’

A US base at the Al-Omar oil field in Syria was targeted with a missile attack on Friday morning, according to Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen and a security source.

Kirby said that attack was ineffective and there were no US casualties.

It is not uncommon for Iranian-backed groups to lob missiles at US bases in Syria after they are hit with airstrikes.

US forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against ISIS, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. About 900 US troops are in Syria, most of them in the eastern party of the country.

US troops have come under attack by Iranian-backed groups about 78 times since the beginning of 2021, according to the US military.

The US deployment, which former President Donald Trump nearly ended in 2018 before softening his withdrawal plans, is a remnant of the larger global war against terrorism that had once included the war in Afghanistan and a far larger US military deployment to Iraq.

While ISIS has lost the swathes of Syria and Iraq it ruled over in 2014, sleeper cells still carry out hit-and-run attacks in desolate areas where neither the US-led coalition nor the Syrian army exert full control.



Syria’s Quneitra Under ‘Curfew’ Amid Israeli Occupation, Escalating Incursions

Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
20

Syria’s Quneitra Under ‘Curfew’ Amid Israeli Occupation, Escalating Incursions

Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taxi stand in the town of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Visitors to towns in Syria's Quneitra governorate today notice a near-complete silence in the streets, with locals comparing it to a “curfew.” This is due to Israel occupying some villages and advancing into others.

Arriving at the outskirts of Khan Arnabah from the “Al-Salam Highway,” it's striking to see the entrance nearly empty of both people and cars.

The same scene is visible at the town's main roundabout, where four major roads branch out, leading to other towns and villages. Business activity along the roadside shops remains low.

At a corner, several taxi drivers wait for passengers, but with no success, prompting some to leave.

While some speculate that the quiet is due to Friday being a public holiday, a taxi driver insists that this situation persists throughout the week, with only slight improvements on regular days.

“The situation is very bad. There’s no work. It feels like a curfew here,” said a man, identifying himself as “Abu Mohammed,” to Asharq Al-Awsat.

With a deep sense of despair, he explained that the cause of this situation is Israel’s occupation of towns and villages in the province and its growing incursions into others, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8th.

“Last Wednesday at midnight, fear gripped the residents of Khan Arnabah due to loud explosions. It turned out they were caused by Israeli soldiers blowing up munitions and weapons at munition depot... at the entrance to the village of al-Jobeh.” Abu Mohammed added.

Two weeks ago, they stormed other military bases at the entrance to the village of Al-Samdaniah Al-Sharqiya, which lies to the west of Khan Arnabah. Their vehicles and soldiers also reached the roundabout.

Another taxi driver points out that Israeli soldiers have occupied the “government complex” in Al-Salam city, about 3 km west of Khan Arnabah, which houses several government departments.

“The complex is disabled because they've set up a large earthen barrier to prevent locals and employees from reaching it. It’s now a center for their tanks and vehicles. They also raided the city’s bakery, forcing residents away under the pretext of searching for weapons, as well as the cultural center and the telephone administration,” they added.

“The occupying soldiers terrorize the locals during their raids on towns and villages, imposing curfews and threatening to target anyone who steps outside,” the driver confirmed.

Among the villages Israel has occupied since the fall of Assad’s regime is Al-Hurriyaا, which falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Khan Arnabah, located 5 km to the west.