Biden orders 'proportionate, deliberate' airstrikes on Iran-backed militia in Syria, Pentagon says

U.S. airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor, Syria
(Image credit: Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. military, "at President Biden's direction," conducted "precision airstrikes" in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, targeting "infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday. The strikes were in response to attacks on U.S. forces from Iran-baked groups, CENTCOM spokesman Co. Joe Buccino said in a statement, citing an Aug. 15 attack on the Green Village base used by U.S. and allied forces in Syria. CENTCOM said at the time there were "zero casualties and no damage" from that attack.

U.S. forces have been in Syria since 2014, sent to fight Islamic State militants. There are still about 900 U.S. troops in Syria, mostly in the east. Iranian-backed militias, which got a foothold in Syria while fighting to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war, "are heavily concentrated west of the Euphrates in Deir al-Zor province," Reuters reports.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.