US conducts strikes in Syria in response to attacks on personnel

The US carried out two attacks on facilities in Syria on Thursday, allegedly used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and groups supported by Iran, according to a statement from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

"The precision self-defence strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on 17 October," he said in a statement.

President Joe Biden authorised the strikes following assaults on US staff in Syria earlier this week.

During one of these incidents, a US contractor suffered a heart-related event while taking cover and subsequently died, while 21 other US personnel sustained injuries.

"They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict," he added.