U.S. fighter jets hit Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliatory strikes

U.S. fighter jets attacked two locations in eastern Syria early Friday morning that were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, the Pentagon said. The attacks were in “self-defense” to a series of drone and missile attacks that started last week and targeted U.S. bases in the area, according to a statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. A senior military official told The Associated Press that IRGC personnel and Iranian-aligned militia members were at the scene of the strikes, but no civilians. That official could provide no information on casualties. There have been 19 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, according to the Pentagon.

Were the retaliatory strikes successful? Two F-16 fighter jets hit weapons and ammunition storage areas connected to the IRGC, a senior U.S. military official told The Associated Press. The military chose the specific sites because the IRGC stored types of munitions previously used against U.S. bases and troops, a senior defense official said. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Paul Butler’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about remembering Operation Desert Shield.