The US on Aug. 24 carried out air-strikes against Iran-backed militias in Deir ez-Zor province of eastern Syria. The militias have been firing rockets on US positions, including the base at al-Tanf [6], which came under fire last week. US Central Command said in a statement: "Today's strikes were necessary to protect and defend US personnel." According to unconfirmed reports, the air-strikes targeted the Ayash Camp of the Fatimiyoun group of Afghan fighters. Claims are circulating that at least six Syrians and foreigners were killed. (EA Worldview [8])
The situation escalated the following day. Pentagon Central Command said two other US outposts, Conoco and Green Village, came under rocket fire. The US struck back with attack helicopters, killing "two or three suspected Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks" and destroying vehicles. (The Guardian [9])
This was one of but a small handful of times [10] over the course of the 10-year Syrian war that the US has bombed targets allied with the Assad regime. These strikes have generally targeted the Iran-backed paramilitary network [11] in the country.
