US military targeted by drone strike in Syria

(CNN) — According to a US defense official, on Wednesday, a drone strike targeted US forces at the At-Tanf base in Syria, near the Jordanian border.

Preliminary assessment is that there were no casualties as a result of the attack, but damage assessment is ongoing.

The United States maintains about 900 troops in Syria, largely dispersed Base de et-Tanfu and oil fields in the east of the country.

The base is located within a 51-square-kilometre “no-conflict zone” near Syria’s border with Jordan, set up by a Russia- and US-led coalition to prevent the two sides from accidentally coming into contact Can go The region has seen heavy fighting in recent years between US forces and ISIS, which has taken over the region.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Iranian-backed Shia militias in the region have frequently attacked US forces in Syria and Iraq.

In late June, during a period of heightened tension between the United States and Iran, rockets were fired at a US base in eastern Syria, and US officials were quick to blame Iranian-backed Shiite militias. The rocket attack came a day after the US military attacked facilities used by militias. An increase in the number of rocket attacks against US forces and bases in Iraq led to the United States carrying out airstrikes against two weapons storage and operating facilities in Syria and Iraq.

NS first known army action occurred in February under President Joe Biden of the United States, when attacked a site Used in response by two Iranian-backed paramilitary groups in Syria rocket attack against US forces in the area. Those attacks sparked concern among lawmakers, who said Biden had not asked Congress for the necessary authorization. The White House said the attacks were backed by Article II of the Constitution and the Charter of the United Nations.

In late September, the United States launched an airstrike against a senior al Qaeda leader in Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria.

–This news is in development and will be updated.