The US military conducted what it says were self-defense strikes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor, US officials said Tuesday, adding that they were not related to ongoing clashes in northeastern Syria.
Washington has so far distanced itself from the offensive launched against Syrian government-held areas of the country.
The US has urged for de-escalation and said “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” a designated terrorist organization, was leading the offensive.
The Pentagon said US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces destroyed several weapons systems near the MSS Euphrates in Syria on Tuesday morning.
Three rocket launchers, a T-64 tank and mortars were all targeted by the US after being deemed a “clear and imminent threat” to US and Coalition forces, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
American forces carried out the strikes after several rockets were launched and landed in the vicinity of the MSS Euphrates base, and other mortars were launched towards US forces, he added.
Ryder told reporters during a briefing that the US was still assessing who was operating the weapons, “but we do know that there are Iranian-backed militia groups in the area that have conducted attacks on MSS Euphrates in the past.”
He added: “There are also Syrian military forces that operate in the area.”
Around 900 US forces are currently deployed to Syria to support a coalition to defeat ISIS. But Iran-backed militias have repeatedly targeted or tried to attack US troops in the area, which has led to US strikes in response.
Last month, the US military said it attacked targets linked to Iran-backed militias in Deir Ezzor.
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