US forces, Iran-backed groups clash in Syria

US forces and Iran-backed armed groups exchanged fire in eastern Syria, according to local sources on Wednesday. The sources reported that Iranian-backed armed groups launched a rocket attack on the Conoco gas field in Deir ez-Zor province, where US troops are stationed. Although smoke was seen rising from the base, there were no reported casualties or damage.

In response, US-led coalition fighter jets targeted military sites belonging to the Iranian-backed groups in Deir ez-Zor. The US Army has not yet commented on the incident.

This exchange follows a series of recent drone and missile attacks on US bases in Syria, which are suspected to have been carried out by Iranian-backed groups. Deir ez-Zor is partially controlled by the US-backed PKK/YPG, while the city center and surrounding rural areas remain under the control of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime and Iranian-backed groups.

In April 2024, several rockets were fired from Iraq toward a US military base in northeastern Syria. The attack, launched from the town of Zummar, marked the first targeting of US troops since early February, when Iranian-backed groups in Iraq ended a campaign of regular strikes against the US-led international coalition.