Developing: The U.S. and Iranian forces in Syria have traded deadly blasts in the past 24 hours of March 23 – March 24. Iranian militant members launched the latest attack.
A series of seven rockets targeted another U.S. military base on Friday, March 24. This time, in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor. This attack is in retaliation to the U.S. launching airstrikes on Iranian forces in southeast Syria. The U.S. initiated the airstrikes after an Iranian drone struck a U.S. base in Al-Hasakah in northeast Syria which killed an American contractor and injured six other Americans stationed at the base.
The U.S. airstrikes on the Iranian militants reportedly killed fighters on the ground in the Iranian-linked areas. Iran’s return fire did not result in any casualties, according to the White House. White House officials called the Iranians’ latest attack “totally ineffective.”
U.S. defense officials said that a radar meant to detect incoming threats at the U.S. military base was down for maintenance at the time of the initial strike. It is unclear whether that vulnerability played a role in the drone reaching a populated area on the base.
