Drone strikes US airbase in Syria – Reuters
US troops at Rumalyn Landing Zone in northeastern Syria have been attacked by a drone, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing a US defense official.
This is the second attack on US forces in the Middle East in the past week, amid growing tensions between Iran and Israel. Several US service members were reportedly wounded in a rocket strike on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday.
“Initial reports do not indicate any injuries, however medical evaluations are ongoing. We are currently conducting a damage assessment,” Reuters reported, citing an unnamed US defense official on the Syrian drone strike.
Rumalyn Landing Zone hosts US and US-led coalition troops in the region.
According to footage shared online, the drone strike may have led to a fire at the facility.
Washington is expecting more attacks, after some of its troops were wounded in the attack on Al-Asad Airbase, Axios wrote on Monday. This comes as Israel has been bracing for an attack from Iran, following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. While both the militant group and the Iranian leadership have blamed Israel for the killing, the Jewish state has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement
West Jerusalem vowed to eliminate the Hamas leadership after the group’s October 7 attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
The previous flare-up between Tehran and West Jerusalem ended with a large-scale missile and drone attack launched by Iran against Israel in April. The Jewish state’s air defenses at the time were significantly aided by US, UK, and other regional allies.
