--- title: "US strikes safe house, training site in eastern Syria" description: "The airstrikes are the second such mission against Iranian-linked facilities in a week, the latest in a series of bombings in the last month." date: "2023-11-12" modified: "2023-11-12" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-airstrikes-eastern-syria-iran/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Analysis" - "Army" - "Around the World" - "Middle East" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "bombing" - "iran" - "syria" --- # US strikes safe house, training site in eastern Syria ![Syrian Democratic Forces]() *US Special Forces provided armed training to 240 YPG/PKK members at the Al-Malikiyah district in the Al-Hasakah province, Syria on September 7, 2022. (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Hedil Amir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)* American forces carried out another round of airstrikes in eastern Syria earlier today, targeting buildings used by Iranian-linked groups. The strikes hit a training facility and safe house located near the Syrian towns of Abu Kamal and Mayadin, according to a statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The two sites were used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and groups linked to Iran, the Department of Defense said. “The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Austin said in his statement. No details were shared on how many people were killed or injured in the air strikes, nor did the Pentagon say what type of aircraft carried out the strike. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** In a statement similar to Austin’s, U.S. Central Command head Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla said that the air strikes were done “in response to continued provocations by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their affiliated groups in Iraq and Syria.” It is unclear if today’s airstrikes were prompted by any recent action against American forces in the Middle East. After the [Oct. 7 Hamas]() terror attack on Israel, the United States sent additional forces to the Middle East. Soon after, U.S. installations in Syria and Iraq were [attacked multiple times](). U.S. officials have accused Iranian-linked groups of carrying out the attacks. In the most recent update by the Pentagon on Thursday, Nov. 9, American and coalition forces had been attacked “at least 46 times to date, 24 separate times in Iraq and 22 separate times in Syria by a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets.” The attacks over the last month have injured 56 people, according to the Department of Defense. Today’s strikes are the latest of several American airstrikes on Iran-linked militias in response to those attacks. The most recent prior operation, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, saw [two F-15s]() hitting a weapons depot in eastern Syria. Austin called that mission a “self-defense strike.” The targeted area in today’s airstrikes was approximately 400 kilometers away from the U.S. garrison at al-Tanf. *This is a developing story.* ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Report:** [**Special operations forces**]() **need to rethink language training** - **US sends a warning with** [**2 aircraft carriers**]() **in the Mediterranean at the same time** - **The Army’s 10 best** [**scare badges**]()**, ranked** - [**Recon Marines**]() **will use electric dirt bikes on next deployment** - **What it’s like to be stationed at** [**Diego Garcia**]() ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()