Multiple U.S. service members were injured by rocket attacks from suspected Iran-backed militants on facilities in Syria on Wednesday, which the Pentagon said prompted retaliatory strikes.
One U.S. service member at Mission Support Site Conoco was treated for a minor injury and has been returned to duty, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Wednesday evening. Two others are under evaluation for minor injuries.
The attacks began at approximately 7:20 p.m. local time in Syria, when several rockets landed inside the perimeter of Mission Support Site Conoco in northeast Syria, said CENTCOM, which added that shortly after, additional rockets landed in the vicinity of Mission Support Site Green Village.
In response, U.S. forces used attack helicopters to destroy three vehicles and equipment used to launch some of the rockets, CENTCOM said. Initial assessments indicate two or three suspected Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks were killed, CENTCOM added.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” said Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM. “We have a total spectrum of capability to mitigate threats across the region, and we have every confidence in our ability to protect our troops and Coalition partners from attacks.”
The news comes after the U.S. Central Command announced President Joe Biden ordered a series of precision strikes on Iran-backed forces in Syria on Tuesday. The airstrikes were ordered with the intended effect of protecting U.S. troops from further Iranian attacks, CENTCOM said at the time.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the U.S. strikes and called their activity on Wednesday a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
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“The response was proportional and deliberate,” CENTCOM said in its statement Wednesday. “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect and defend our people.”
U.S. troops first arrived in Syria under the Obama administration, with the intention of assisting local Kurdish forces against the Islamic State. There are about 900 U.S. troops stationed in Syria, according to the Jerusalem Post.
