American forces hit Iran-backed militia targets in Syria-- US military

WASHINGTON — American forces on Tuesday carried out strikes against targets linked to an Iranian-backed militia in Syria in response to a rocket attack on Washington's troops in the country, the US military said.

The strikes targeted the group's "weapons storage and logistics headquarters facility... in response to a rocket attack on US personnel," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on social media that did not identify the militia by name.

"There was no damage to US facilities and no injuries to US or partner forces during the attack," CENTCOM said.

The previous day, US forces bombed nine targets associated with Iranian-backed groups in response to recent drone and rocket attacks, according to the Pentagon.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said the Monday strikes killed four members of groups loyal to Iran.

The US military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition that was established in 2014 to help combat the Daesh group.

Since war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Iran groups have repeatedly targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria in response to Washington's support for Israel.

The United States has on multiple occasions responded to such attacks with strikes on Iran-backed groups.