U.S.-led coalition in Syria strikes Assad-backed militia forces

A U.S.-led coalition aircraft.
(Image credit: Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images)

The U.S.-led coalition in Syria attacked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's militia forces in air strikes Thursday, an American official confirmed to BuzzFeed News and Reuters.

"[Syrian] rebels worried last week that regime forces would get too close to U.S. [special forces] base at [the southern Syrian town of] Tanf," reported BuzzFeed News correspondent Mike Giglio. "It seems that happened today, and [the] coalition struck."

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Warning shots were reportedly fired first at the Iranian-backed Syrian army militia convoy. The U.S. previously attacked Assad's forces after the regime's use of chemical weapons in the town of Idlib.

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The U.S.-led coalition and the Assad regime are mutually fighting the Islamic State in the region.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.