15 missiles fired, attacking US military base in Syria

15 tên lửa khai hỏa, dồn dập tấn công căn cứ quân sự Mỹ ở Syria - 1 — US forces set up a base in Manbij, Syria in 2018 (Photo: Reuters).

"A US base at the Koniko oil field northeast of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, was hit by missiles," Al Mayadeen TV channel reported on November 13.

According to Al Mayadeen , 15 missiles were launched, causing heavy explosions at the US military base.

The attack was in response to US raids on two facilities in eastern Syria, sources said.

Al Mayadeen also quoted a source saying that several US soldiers were killed in the latest missile attack.

In addition, the US base in al-Shadadi, Al Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, was also attacked by three drones.

The US military has 24 military bases and 4 positions in Syria. US bases in Syria have been attacked many times by drones and missiles.

The US has accused pro-Iranian groups of carrying out the attacks, and attributed the increase in attacks to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The Pentagon said on November 12 that the US carried out two airstrikes against Iran-linked groups in Syria in response to a series of attacks on US forces in Syria and Iraq.

The targets of the airstrikes carried out by F-15E fighter jets were a training facility near the city of Albu Kamal and a secret facility near the city of Mayadeen, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He said President Joe Biden had ordered the airstrikes.

Reuters quoted local sources as saying that one of the two attacks targeted a camp of pro-Iranian militias in the western Albu Kamal area of Deir al Zor province. The other attack took place near a bridge near the city of Mayadeen, close to the Iraqi border and a stronghold of pro-Iranian militias.

This is the third US airstrike since October 26, as Washington tries to quell a wave of drone and missile attacks on US troops in Syria and Iraq following the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war.

Military bases housing US forces in Iraq and Syria have come under attack in recent weeks. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said there have been at least 46 attacks on US and allied forces since October 17. Since then, at least 56 US troops have been injured.

The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in neighboring Iraq to advise and assist local forces in preventing the re-emergence of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

Following the outbreak of conflict in Gaza, the US has deployed a series of military assets and troops to the Middle East, including a cruise missile submarine and two aircraft carrier strike groups. The Pentagon said the move was intended to send a message of deterrence to hostile forces in the region.

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