Iranian-backed groups attack US base in eastern Syria with rockets

By Ahmet Karaahmet and Esref Musa

TEL ABYAD (AA) - Iranian-backed groups on Saturday launched a rocket attack on the Koniko Gas Plant, where US forces are stationed in eastern Syria.

According to information obtained from local sources by Anadolu, Iranian-backed groups stationed on the western bank of the Euphrates River in Deir ez-Zor launched a rocket attack on the Koniko Gas Plant in the afternoon.

Smoke rose in the area where the base is located, and it is unknown whether there were any casualties in the attack. US officials have not yet commented on the attack.

On Jan. 24, unidentified aircraft targeted military vehicles belonging to Iranian-backed groups allied with the Bashar al-Assad regime in Deir ez-Zor at a border crossing between Syria and Iraq.

US military bases in Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor have been frequently targeted by rockets and unidentified drones since the beginning of 2024.

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

The US is allied with the PKK/YPG ostensibly to fight Daesh/ISIS, while Turkish officials say using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan