US military base in Dayr al-Zawr comes under rocket attack following airstrike on Syrian forces
Rockets have hit a military base housing US forces in eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr following multiple airstrikes by the Pentagon targeting Syrian forces.
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Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television news network, citing local sources, reported that the rockets landed in the vicinity of US-controlled al-Omar oil field at around 11 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Friday, causing several explosions.
There were no immediate reports of injuries and the extent of damage.
The attack came hours after the US military launched several air raids against Syrian forces. Washington said it hit the positions of resistance fighters behind a drone strike that killed an American contractor, wounded another and also hurt five US troops.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the attack against US personnel took place at a base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. local time (1038 GMT) on Thursday.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the US airstrikes were carried out at the direction of President Joe Biden and targeted facilities used by groups opposed to the presence of American forces in Syria.
“The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria,” Austin said in a statement.
Local sources pointed out that the target was not an Iran-aligned military post as the US military claimed, but rather a rural development center and a grain center in Hrabash neighborhood, near Dayr al-Zawr military airport.
Meanwhile, no Iranian was killed in the act of aggression.
A military source in Syria told Press TV that the resistance groups reserve right to respond to the American attack and will take reciprocal action.
The US military has for long stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of the Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country’s natural resources. Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
