The U.S. military said it lashed back at Iranian-backed forces in Syria after rockets were fired at two bases where Americans are stationed.
Attack helicopters killed two or three people believed to have been involved in one of the rocket attacks and destroyed three vehicles along with equipment, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday night.
The operation unfolded after rockets struck Mission Support Site Conoco and near Mission Support Site Green Village, according to Centcom. One American service member was treated for a minor injury and went back to duty. Two others were being evaluated for injuries.
The attacks and counterattack occurred a day after the U.S. military carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria against groups tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has been an ardent supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad during the country’s civil war that began in 2011.
“The response was proportional and deliberate,” Centcom said in the Wednesday statement. “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect and defend our people.”
As the clashes in Syria continue, the Biden administration has been sending signals that it will remain tough on Iran even as it weighs a return to the nuclear accord with the Islamic Republic that President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met on Tuesday with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata, and reiterated the Biden administration’s “commitment to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” according to a White House statement. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with Hulata on Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, Iran said it was reviewing the administration’s response to a European Union-drafted plan to rescue the 2015 nuclear accord, including US comments on amendments suggested by Tehran. Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said Iran would comment on Washington’s reply once the assessment is complete, without giving further details.
The original agreement placed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of related economic sanctions. Republicans and some Democrats oppose reviving it.
