Iranian drone strike in Syria kills US worker, triggers US airstrikes: NPR
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon last week.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Alex Wong/Getty Images
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon last week.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
The United States is retaliating after a drone strike killed a US contractor, injured five US service members and injured another contractor in Syria, the Defense Department said Friday.
US Central Command carried out airstrikes on targets it believed linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. Intelligence sources found the drone to be of Iranian origin, Austin said.
Videos shared on social media showed explosions in Deir el-Zour, a Syrian province near the Iraqi border.
“As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary action to defend our people and will always respond when and where we choose,” Austin said in the statement. “No group will strike our troops with impunity.”
The drone attack occurred Thursday at a Syrian coalition base and follows recent Iranian attacks on coalition forces, the Pentagon said.
Two injured soldiers were treated on the spot, while the other victims were medically evacuated to medical facilities in Iraq.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
NPR’s Peter Kenyon contributed reporting.
npr
