Three U.S. service members were injured in rocket attacks in Syria carried out Wednesday by suspected Iran-backed militants, according to U.S. Central Command, the latest in a slew of attacks on American personnel that U.S. officials said were directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Rockets landed at two separate sites in north-eastern Syria starting at roughly 7:30 p.m. local time, the command said late Wednesday in a press release. Several rockets struck inside the perimeter of Mission Support Site Conoco, followed by additional rockets that landed in the vicinity of Mission Support Site Green Village.
One of the U.S. service members in Conoco was treated for a minor injury and returned to duty, while two others are under evaluation for minor injuries.
The IRGC is responsible for and directing the attacks, said one senior defense official.
The attacks come as the U.S. continues to pursue negotiations with Tehran to agree on a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 agreement former President Donald Trump withdrew from during his term in office.
Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its interest. Its only consistent ally since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Syria provides a crucial thoroughfare to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian leaders have cited Syria as being Iran’s “35th province”, with President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority-led government being a crucial buffer against the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Source » iranbriefing