25 March,2023 08:02 AM IST | Washington | Agencies
Lloyd Austin, defence secretary, US
A strike Thursday by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded six other Americans in northeast Syria, and U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the Pentagon said. Activists said the U.S. bombing killed at least four people.
While it's not the first time the U.S. and Iran have traded strikes in Syria, the attack and the U.S. response threaten to upend recent efforts to deescalate tensions across the wider Middle East, whose rival powers have made steps toward détente in recent days after years of turmoil.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the American intelligence community had determined the drone was of Iranian origin, but offered no other immediate evidence to support the claim. The drone hit a coalition base in the Syrian city of Hasaka. The wounded included five American service members and a U.S. contractor. Austin said the strikes were a response to the drone attack "as well as a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria" by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard.
Also Read: Israel passes law protecting Benjamin Netanyahu as protests continue
Iran relies on a network of proxy forces through the Mideast to counter the U.S. and Israel, its arch regional enemy. The activist group Deir Ezzor 24, said the American strikes killed four people and wounded a number of others. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll from U.S. strikes at 11 Iranian-backed fighters.
ALSO READ
Billionaire Gautam Adani charged in US with USD 250 mn bribery, fraud
Gautam Adani bribery, fraud case: Here's full statement of US Justice Dept
Gautam Adani bribery, fraud case: All you need to know about the case
Donald Trump attends launch of Elon Musk owned SpaceX's Starship
Trial begins over deaths of Indian family at US-Canada border
11
No. of people killed per Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
