US Air Force planes have launched missile strikes in several areas near the Syrian-Iraqi border, according to the Syrian state television channel.
“The United States carried out an aggressive action against Syria, attacking ground targets in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor,” the report said.
The US airstrike hit a cluster of buildings and is believed to have killed “up to a handful of people”, The Washington Post newspaper reported on late Thursday, citing an anonymous US official.
US Department of Defense confirmed the information, saying that airstrikes were targeting facilities allegedly used by “Iranian-backed militias” and conducted in response to recent attacks in Iraq.
The Pentagon also confirmed that airstrikes were ordered by the US president, Joe Biden.
According to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the airstrikes were carried out based on the data provided by the Iraqi intelligence services.
“The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel. At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq,” a statement by the Pentagon read.
Russia’s Reaction
For its part, Russia condemns the airstrike on eastern Syria and sees it as an unacceptable violation of the international law, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
“The attack was launched on the territory of a sovereign nation, a United Nations member state. This is an unacceptable violation of the international law, it necessary to ascertain whom they attacked,” the source said.
Iran assists the Syrian Army’s fight against the ISIL terror group, the source stressed.
“They are there to help the legitimate government and the Syrian people fight terrorists,” the source concluded.
Source: Agencies
