Another rocket attack targets US base in eastern Syria

By Esref Musa

TEL ABYAD, Syria (AA) – A US base in eastern Syria was targeted by a rocket, local sources said on Monday, but provided no further details.

A single rocket fell near the US Shaddadi Base in southern Hasakah province, according to a local source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.

The source provided no further information, and the US has yet to issue a statement regarding the latest of a series of attacks on its bases in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier on Sunday, the US Central Command (CENTOM) reported that three service members were killed and 28 were injured in an attack on the US military base at Al-Tanf, near the Jordanian-Syrian border.

A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.

Al-Tanf, a base located within Syrian territory outside of regime control where the Syrian, Iraqi, and Jordanian borders meet, houses a number of American troops.

“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” a statement issued by CENTOM quoted US President Joe Biden as saying.

However, Iran immediately dismissed claims of its involvement in the attack, and a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran “does not interfere” in the decision-making of groups in the region on “how to support the Palestinian nation.”

Since the Israeli army launched intensified attacks on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, US military bases in Syria and Iraq have been targeted, particularly Al-Tanf, as well as bases in the Malikiyye district near the Iraqi border, the Shaddadi district in Hasakah province, and the Deir ez-Zor province, with drones and rockets.

The territories in Deir ez-Zor, east of the Euphrates River, are under the occupation of the terrorist group PKK/YPG, while the provincial center and other rural areas are under the control of the Bashar al-Assad regime and Iranian-backed groups.

Iran has repeatedly called for the cessation of Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Iranian-backed groups occasionally launch rocket and drone attacks on US bases along the Euphrates' eastern bank.

On Oct. 19, Iranian state TV aired a news report explaining how, if Israel's attacks on Gaza continue, Tehran's regional allies, referred to as "resistance forces," could launch simultaneous attacks using missiles and drones from Hezbollah in the north, militias in Iraq, and Syria from the east, and the Houthis in Yemen from the south.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an Oct. 17 speech that if Israel's attacks continue, "resistance forces" would take action.

Iran refers to Lebanese Hezbollah, the militias it supports in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen as resistance forces.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar